Aribim Pepple scored his third goal in consecutive matches for Plymouth Argyle on Saturday, a run of form that has not earned him a recall to the Canada national team. The forward came off the bench to seal a 4-2 win over Blackpool, chesting down a ball and firing powerfully into the top corner in the 89th minute.
Pepple has now scored 19 times since the start of 2026, a tally that leads all Canadian players. Cyle Larin, who was held scoreless in a Championship defeat on the same day, sits one behind with 18 goals. Despite this output, Pepple was left out of head coach Jesse Marsch's 26-man squad for friendlies against Chile, Peru and the United States this month.
Jesse Marsch opted for other attacking options, including Tani Oluwaseyi and Promise David, who has played just 23 minutes for Brighton this season. Daniel Jebbison, with only 16 Premier League minutes for Bournemouth, also received a call-up. Established names like Jonathan David and Jacen Russell-Rowe were selected as expected.
Pepple earned his first senior call-up in March but did not feature in World Cup warm-up matches. A source close to the player suggested the latest omission has provided motivation. "He didn’t get the Canada call-up this month that he probably deserves, and he took that personally," they said.
The national team sits second in their World Cup group with four points from three matches. Their recent form shows two wins, one draw and two losses from the last five outings. They face Chile at home on September 26th in their next fixture, a match you can preview on our fixtures page. The squad's attacking options and current standings are detailed in our standings and squad sections.
For now, Pepple will focus on club duty with Plymouth, who moved up to third in League One with their third straight victory. His immediate task is maintaining a scoring streak that has made his international absence a talking point.
This story first appeared at Canadian Soccer Daily
