Five Things to Know About USMNT Striker Ricardo Pepi

More on Pepi’s rise to the USMNT, his decision and what it means to represent the United States

A standout 2021 Major League Soccer campaign with FC Dallas earned 18-year-old Ricardo Pepi his first call-up to the U.S. Men’s National Team for the opening of 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifying in September.

Slated to make his USMNT debut in a pivotal match at Honduras on Sept. 8, 2021, the El Paso native demonstrating his physical prowess and instincts in attack by helping engineer the USMNT’s four-goal, second-half comeback that night in San Pedro Sula. 

The instrumental performance put the world on notice about Pepi, and now it’s time to learn more about the guy they call, “El Tren”.

IT ALL STARTED IN EL PASO

Ricardo Pepi was born in El Paso, Texas on Jan. 9, 2003, to parents Daniel and Annette Pepi, both who came from Ciudad Juárez, just across the river in Mexico. The cultural influence of his parents’ birthplace was strong in his household, with him growing up speaking Spanish, eating Mexican food and of course developing love for the game in futbol-mad El Paso.

Beginning to play when he was just four years old, Pepi was coached by his father until age 10 when he joined FC Dallas’ affiliate club in El Paso. Developing for three years with the feeder club, Pepi impressed during a training stint with the FC Dallas Academy, and at age 13 was invited to join the FCD setup.

Moving nine hours northeast to the Dallas suburbs, Pepi lived with a host family during his first year with the club in 2016 and said the transition at such a young age was difficult.  

“Just compare the size of Dallas to El Paso…it can be overwhelming sometimes. I feel like the hardest part was just moving away from my parents, because I had them and I had my siblings calling me almost every day, crying on the phone, saying they missed me.  That was the hardest part -- being able to balance that with soccer and going to school.”

“I had to have talks with my family and friends about moving and sacrificing in order to chase my dreams,” he added.

Things got easier after that first year when the Pepi family relocated to the Dallas area and Ricardo continued to show an incredible knack for scoring goals.

During the 2016-17 Academy season, he appeared in 15 games and scored 18 goals for the U-13 Academy team and scored 12 goals in 13 appearances for the U-14 Academy. For the 2017-2018 season, Pepi moved up to the U-16s, where he appeared in 14 games and scored five goals. Pepi scored 19 goals in eight games for the U-17 side in 2018.

PROFESSIONAL BEGINNINGS AND U.S. U-17s

After three seasons in the FCD Academy, the 15-year-old Pepi moved up the developmental ladder with the club’s second team, becoming the first signing in North Texas SC history on Dec. 6, 2018. He made his professional debut for the USL League One side four months later, when the then 16-year-old Pepi registered a hat trick in a 3-2 win against the Chattanooga Red Wolves.

"I'd like to say that it shocks me, but it doesn't shock me,” North Texas SC head coach Eric Quill said after the match. “He's been in unbelievable form in the preseason. Every game, he's growing. He's got such a hunger to score goals, that is rare. He can finish in any way."

He went on to record 11 goals and one assist in 12 matches for North Texas, including a brace against Forward Madison in the USL League One Semifinal.

Part of the U.S. U-17 squad throughout the 2019 World Cup cycle, Pepi recorded three goals for the USA during the Concacaf qualifying tournament that spring and was named to the FIFA U-17 World Cup roster, appearing in two matches that November in Brazil.

MOVING UP TO FC DALLAS

Midway through the 2019 season, North Texas SC loaned Pepi to FC Dallas for its Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup clash against OKC Energy on June 11 and the 16-year-old made his competitive debut for the club. Ten days later, Pepi signed a Homegrown contract, and he made his MLS debut the following day as a substitute in FCD’s 3-0 win against Toronto FC.

Little by little, Pepi gained more experience with the FC Dallas first team. He finished 2019 with seven substitute appearances, and in 2020 recorded two goals and an assist in 17 regular season matches. He made waves that postseason, scoring a late equalizer to force extra time with the Portland Timbers in the first round of the MLS Cup playoffs. The game headed to a shootout where he also put home his spot kick as FC Dallas defeated the Timbers 8-7 on penalties.

Turning 18 early in 2021, Pepi’s breakthrough season came that year as he racked up nine goals and one assist in his first 20 matches. Among the standout performances in that time was his brace in a 2-1 win against league-leading New England on June 27 and a hat trick performance in a 4-0 win against LA Galaxy on July 24, making him the youngest player to record three goals in an MLS match.

Pepi was named as the youngest member of the MLS All-Star squad to take on the Liga MX All-Stars on Aug. 25 and played the second half of the 1-1 draw before the match headed directly to a penalty shootout. With the two sides tied 2-2, Pepi stepped up in the fifth round and smashed his right-footed take off the underside of the crossbar to give MLS the shootout victory.

CHOOSING THE USMNT

With his success during the 2021 season, questions arose about which senior national team he would end up choosing to represent. Understandably, they swirled even more around the MLS and Liga MX clash in the 2021 All-Star Game, which occurred one day before Gregg Berhalter was set to name his USMNT squad for the September World Cup Qualifying matches.

The morning after Pepi scored the winning penalty in the All-Star Game, he was named as the youngest member of the U.S. squad and confirmed his commitment to the United States.

“There was a good opportunity that popped up for me. I had to have some conversations with my family, I had to have some conversations with my agent, and I feel like we made the best decision,” Pepi said recently. “Being able to defend the country that gave all my opportunities – not just to me, but to my family – it’s the best feeling in the world. It makes it easier to defend the country, fight for what you want and fight for what you love.”

UNFORGETTABLE USMNT DEBUT

While 20 of the 26 players named to the roster came to camp looking to make their first qualifying appearance, Pepi was the only one also seeking his overall USMNT debut.

After sitting in reserve for the team’s first two matches – a 0-0 draw at El Salvador and 1-1 tie against Canada in Nashville – Pepi was informed by Berhalter that he would start the match on Sept. 8 at Honduras during the team flight to San Pedro Sula the day before.

“To me it’s showing players you believe in them. That’s the most important thing,” the USMNT head coach said of the decision on a recent episode of The Gregg Berhalter Podcast. “Anything is possible. If you’re in camp, you can play, you can start. You’re not in camp to be a placeholder. It’s giving the guys confidence that you’re here to contribute. For Pepi, really for a lot of guys, you’re playing not because I like you. You’re playing because you’re good enough and you can do it.”

The start made Pepi (18 years, 242 days) the second youngest player to appear for the USMNT in a World Cup Qualifier, following only Christian Pulisic who made his qualifying debut while still 17. “El Tren” went on to have one of the most impressive debuts in team history.

Trailing 1-0 at halftime, he combined with four different second-half substitutes to spark a 4-1 comeback victory. 

Though he didn’t know much about it, he registered his first assist when the ball deflected off him to Antonee Robinson who poked home the equalizer in the 48^th minute.

Pepi then got his name on the score sheet when DeAndre Yedlin – who entered three minutes prior – served up a picture-perfect cross for the youngster to nod into the top right corner in the 76^th. The goal made the El Paso product the fourth youngest player to score in his USMNT debut, following only Juan Agudelo, Josh Sargent and Landon Donovan.

With Honduras pressing for an equalizer, Pepi spearheaded a USMNT attack that caught Los Catrachos out twice more to kill off the game late.

In the 86^th minute, he won the ball in midfield and charged two-on-one towards goal before sliding to Brenden Aaronson to fire home from the top of the area. In second half stoppage time, Pepi broke free into the box, measuring an effort to the back post which Honduras ‘keeper Luis Lopez got a hand to before Sebastian Lletget sent home the rebound.

Though involved in all four goals, the deflection on Lletget’s strike meant Pepi officially ended the match with a goal and two assists. He became the first USMNT player since Aldo “Buff” Donelli’s to register three or more Goals+Assists in a Qualifying debut. Donelli scored all four goals in the USMNT’s first-ever qualifier – a 4-2 win against Mexico on May 27, 1934 in Rome, Italy.

Taking Man of the Match honors, Pepi showed youthful poise during his post-game press conference. Towards the end, he was asked in Spanish how important his debut performance was only weeks after making his choice for the USMNT. He reaffirmed the decision.

“When I decided to play for the United States, I said that I would give my entire heart to the team and that I would work hard for the team. Tonight, I showed that.”

We’re looking forward to more of that for years to come.