Рикардо Пепи

Ricardo Daniel Pepi (born January 9, 2003) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a striker for Eredivisie club PSV Eindhoven and the United States national team. Pepi had his breakthrough with Major League Soccer club FC Dallas and was named the MLS Young Player of the Year in 2021. In 2022 he joined Bundesliga club FC Augsburg and was later loaned to Eredivisie club FC Groningen, where he scored 12 goals in 29 league appearances. In 2023 he signed with PSV Eindhoven for €9 million ($9.8m). Born to Mexican-American ancestry, he represented the United States at the youth U17 level. He made his senior debut in 2021 and won the CONCACAF Nations League in 2023. Pepi was born in El Paso, Texas, and raised in nearby San Elizario. He has Mexican ancestry through his family who were from Mexico, with Pepi regularly crossing the border to neighboring Ciudad Juárez to visit family. Pepi began playing recreational soccer when he was only four years old in local El Paso leagues. He soon began playing competitive organized soccer for a club coached by his father, Daniel Pepi. The club would soon become affiliated with Major League Soccer club FC Dallas, who scouted Pepi following the Copa Chivas tournament in 2016, offering the then 13-year old the opportunity to join the FC Dallas youth academy. In his first season, Pepi was put into the under-13 side and scored 18 goals in just 15 games, leading him to rise up the ranks within the club. He was soon promoted to the under-17 side as a 15-year old, scoring 19 goals in eight matches. Born in the United States, Pepi was eligible to play for both the United States and Mexico through his parents. He had also previously attended training camps for both the United States under-17 and Mexico under-17 sides. On April 22, 2019, Pepi was included in the United States under-17 squad by Raphaël Wicky for the CONCACAF U-17 Championship. On May 12, Pepi scored his first international goal against Panama, followed by a brace against Canada to help the United States advance to the final. In October 2019, Pepi was included again in the under-17 squad, this time for the FIFA U-17 World Cup. On August 26, 2021, manager Gregg Berhalter selected Pepi in the United States squad for 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification. On September 8, 2021, Pepi made his debut for the United States and scored the winning goal in a 4–1 away victory against Honduras. His goal was the second of the match, giving the United States a 2–1 lead. He scored twice in his second match, a 2–0 qualifying win against Jamaica played in Austin, Texas. Despite the early success, Pepi was ultimately not called up to the team's 26-man 2022 World Cup roster. In his first international match following the World Cup, Pepi scored his fourth and fifth international goals as part of a brace in a 7–1 Nations League victory over Grenada. Four days later, he scored the game-winning goal against El Salvador to send the United States into the 2023 Nations League semifinals. In the Nations League semifinal against Mexico, he scored off the bench securing the 3-0 U.S. win.