Christian Pulisic & Ricardo Pepi confirmed as USMNT starters against Saudi Arabia
By Chris Smith
Christian Pulisic and Ricardo Pepi will start for the United States Men's National Team in their friendly against Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, Gregg Berhalter has confirmed.
The USMNT are in Murcia, Spain, for their final pre-World Cup match after losing 2-0 to Japan in Dusseldorf on Friday.
Pulisic was due to feature in that match but pulled out at the last moment after picking up a knock. However, his withdrawal from the squad was just a precaution and the Chelsea forward has been involved in training since arriving in Spain.
Pepi, meanwhile, was an unused substitute against Japan and hasn't featured for the USMNT since March, but has earned one final chance to impress Berhalter after notching a goal and an assist across his first two appearances for FC Groningen - who he joined on loan from Augsburg this summer.
Speaking at a press conference following Monday's training session (via the official USMNT Twitter page), Berhalter confirmed both Pulisic and Pepi would line up from the start against Saudi Arabia.
Ricardo Pepi and Christian Pulisic set for some vital pre-World Cup minutes.
— Chris Smith (@CJSmith91) September 26, 2022
Pulisic just needs reps to be sharp for Qatar, Pepi with a big chance to prove his worth to Berhalter with the #USMNT No.9 spot wide open 🇺🇸 https://t.co/my9YyvGU2I
Alongside that attacking duo, the likes of Joe Scally, Erik Palmer-Brown, Kellyn Acosta, and Paul Arriola will all be looking to see the field on Tuesday after riding the bench against Japan.
The USMNT's next match following this friendly is their World Cup Group B opener against Wales on November 21.
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