It was Matchday 3 in the Eredivisie, and Sergino Dest, Ricardo Pepi and PSV went 3 for 3 and to the top of the table, while the Booth brothers had mixed results, with 24-year-old Taylor winning with FC Twente, while younger brother Zach and Excelsior remained winless with a loss at Utrecht.
PSV 4 – 2 Groningen
Sergino Dest, Ricardo Pepi, and former US International Esmir Bajraktarević all featured in PSV’s 4-2 victory over Groningen. After the teams went into halftime tied 1-1, PSV Manager Peter Bosz brought 20-year-old Bajraktarević off the bench for the second half.
The former New England Revolution player, who started his international career with the USMNT before making a one-time switch to Bosnia in August 2024, had an immediate impact, as he took a superb assist from Dest to put PSV up 2-1 in the 46th minute.
PSV was playing with a makeshift offensive line, with Alassane Plea out with a knee injury, and Ricardo Pepi not fully match fit after his own prior knee injury. Bajraktarević made the most of his opportunity, scoring twice in his 45 minute appearance.
USMNT fans will also be happy to see Pepi back on the pitch, as he came on for the final 8 minutes of the match. Bosz confirmed that he was being conservative with bringing Pepi back, who had been dealing with fluid in his surgically repaired knee. Fans should expect Pepi to see increased minutes in the next few weeks. However, with roster released expected this week, Pepi is unlikely to be called in by Poch for the September friendlies. The October FIFA International window, with matches versus Ecuador and Australia, may be a more realistic target for Pepi to rejoin the National Team.
Heerenveen 1 – 2 FC Twente
Taylor Booth and FC Twente got their first win of the season, away at Heerenveen. Booth started and played 70 minutes, with one shot.
Twente get their first three points of the season while Heerenveen stays on one point. The opening goal came in the 12th minute as Mats Rots crossed for Daan Rots to fire into the bottom corner from the edge of the box. Twente doubled their lead late in the match through a goal by Naci Unuvar. A stoppage time goal By Heerenveen’s Václav Sejk was not enough to alter the outcome, giving FC Twente all 3 points.
Utrecht 4 – 1 Excelsior
Taylor’s younger brother Zach was not as successful, with Excelsior remaining winless after a 1-4 loss at Utrecht. Zach came off the bench for the last 20 minutes of the game, with his team already down 0-4.
Following their impressive Europa League win versus Bosnian team Zrinjski at midweek, Utrecht looked confident and superior to Excelsior in this match. Miguel Rodríguez put Utrecht in front after half an hour, but it was left-back Souffian El Karouani who was the star of the show, with a trio of assists.
Excelsior pulled one back in the 83rd minute, courtesy of Do-Young Yoon. However, it was too little, too late, as Utrecht deservedly takes the home victory and all 3 points. Excelsior remain winless and pointless, while Utrecht now has 2 wins and six points.
