FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. (AP) — Ricardo Pepi reflected on how much has changed in four years.
When he got a call in November 2022 from then-U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter informing him of his next decision, he hung up. Remove Pepi from World Cup roster.
Go back to this May 22nd. Pepi was a passenger in the car his father, Daniel, drove in Dallas when he was the current coach. Mauricio Pochettino WhatsApp video A message sent to this year’s American 26 jumped out at me.
“I showed it to him and he immediately started crying a little bit,” Pepi said. “Obviously it’s not good to be left out, but I feel like (I) used it to my advantage to get into this World Cup. I felt like it helped me grow. It helped me grow a little bit.”
Pepi, known to his teammates as Rico, is one of three forwards competing for playing time with Folarin Balogun and Haji Wright ahead of the U.S. World Cup opener against Paraguay on June 12. He has scored 13 goals in 36 international games and will play in Saturday’s final warm-up game against Germany.
“Pepi is a killer,” Pochettino said last week.
Only 23 years old, Pepi has had a career filled with experience. When Berhalter gets around him in 2022, Pepi scored a goal in the next match against Groningen in the Netherlands.
“He probably deserved to be on the final roster,” said US star Christian Pulisic. “He continues to work hard during camp. He continues to maintain a high level at club level, scoring goals and doing everything well. That’s why it’s his time and he absolutely deserves to be here.”
Defender Anthony Robinson was first among his teammates to console Pepi four years ago.
“I just called to make sure he was okay,” Pepi said.
Born in El Paso, Texas to Mexican parents, Pepi joined Dallas’ Major League Soccer team’s academy in 2016 after playing in El Paso’s youth organization. He made his MLS debut in 2019, the same year he represented the United States at the U-17 World Cup alongside future national team members Gio Reyna and Joe Scully.
After just two and a half years in Dallas, including the 2020 season interrupted due to the coronavirus, Pepi In January 2022, at the age of 18, he moved to Germany and transferred to Augsburg. After failing to score in 16 games, he was loaned to Groningen at the beginning of the 2022-23 season. He couldn’t avoid relegation and Pepi Transferred to PSV Eindhoven for the 2023-24 season.
His 2024-25 season will see him I damaged the meniscus in my right knee. Despite rebounding in his third season at PSV, he scored 19 goals in 34 games in all competitions, including three in the Champions League on January 29 against Liverpool in the Champions League. fractured right arm He was absent from January 10th to February 21st.
A potential move to the Premier League with Fulham was not finalized during last winter’s transfer window.
“If I look back at where I was four years ago, obviously I’m a much different player now. I’m just better in tight spaces and my game has just improved,” he said. “It’s obviously a big change going to Europe at 18 years old, but I feel like I’ve adapted now and can play against big teams.”
Pepi commits to US senior national team, not Mexico After discussions with his family, he made his debut with the national team in August 2021, scoring the opening goal and adding two assists. 4-1 come-from-behind victory over Honduras In the opening qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup. he scored both goals in that match 2-0 win against Jamaica at home next month.
“He has this instinct, and it’s really hard to teach players that,” Berhalter said after a game five years ago. “He has the instinct to score.”
Pepi scored his second goal on Sunday with a perfectly weighted pass to Pulisic. Friendly victory over Senegal 3-2.
“He is a player who has the ability to read the space to the ball, get to the ball, potentially score and sometimes create chances out of nowhere,” Pochettino said.
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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
