Credit: Beautiful Sports/Orangepictures - dpa via ZUMA Press - ISIPhotos.com
USMNT players in the 2024-25 Eredivisie
The topflight in the Netherlands begins on August 9 with an interesting situation for three USMNT players. Malik Tillman, Ricardo Pepi, Sergino Dest, and Richy Ledezma helped win a championship and are now looking to retain after beating out 2nd-place Feyenoord by seven points last season, losing only once in league play to finish with 91 points. PSV also advanced to the knockout round of the Champions League after entering the tournament in the third qualifying round. PSV finished 2nd to Arsenal in group B, losing 3-1 on aggregate to eventual finalists Borussia Dortmund in the round of 16.
For this season, PSV made Tillman and Dest’s loans permanent transfers, also adding defender Ryan Flamingo from Sassuolo. Dest is rehabbing an ACL injury, but the bulk of PSV’s title winning side should be in form to start the season. Ledezma returned to PSV in January, 2024 after playing in 23 games on loan to NYCFC in 2023, making one appearance on the final day of the season. Maintaining a successful squad in the Eredivisie is always a challenge, with plenty of clubs with money to spend keeping an eye on the Dutch topflight.
Individually, all three USMNT players in PSV’s squad showed how valuable they are last season. Dest and Tillman were regular starters with Pepi playing the role of super sub. In an injury-shortened season, Dest played in 25 league games and eight Champions League games. Tillman played in 28 Eredivisie games, scoring nine goals along with appearances in the eight Champions League group stage games where he recorded three assists. Pepi was the offensive sub of choice last season, appearing in 27 Eredivisie games and scoring seven times while playing 458 minutes. He also played in all eight of the Champions League group stage games, scoring a goal and recording an assist over 132 minutes.
We got a week early look at PSV in the 2024 Johan Cruyff Shield, where they lost on penalties to Feyenoord after drawing 4-4 in regulation. The two PSV players to convert in the penalty stage were Tillman and Pepi, with Pepi once again coming off the bench to help his club.
Two other USMNT players are at the same club in the Netherlands, with Paxten Aaronson joining Taylor Booth at FC Utrecht. A 7th-place finish last season and significant player movement during this offseason has Utrecht doing business for 2024-25. That includes the loan deal with Eintracht for Aaronson, who spent the second-half of last season in the Eredivisie on-loan to Vitesses.
Aaronson showed how his game works in the Dutch topflight, joining Vitesse at the end of January and playing in 14 games with four goals. Booth is beginning his third season with Utrecht, playing in 19 league games and scoring five goals last season.
