Who Is Ricardo Pepi?
Meet the USMNT teen-striker that has taken the U.S. Soccer world by storm
Ricardo Pepi is the living embodiment of the ‘American Dream.’ The Mexican-American star is only 18 years old and these past couple weeks have been an absolute whirlwind for Pepi.
11 goals & counting for FC Dallas this season, a game-winning PK in the MLS All Star Game vs. Liga MX, committing to play for the USMNT over El-Tri, and now scoring a debut goal for the U.S. in a World Cup qualifier…Pepe is on fire.
So that leads me to my next question…Who Is Ricardo Pepi?
Ricardo Pepi was born on January 9th, 2003 in El Paso, Texas. As a child Pepi spent a substantial amount of time traveling between the U.S. and Mexico border due to his Mexican ancestry.
Growing up in El Paso, Texas, Pepi quickly began playing soccer recreationally at the age of four. Following Pepi’s performance at the Copa Chivas Tournament in 2016 the then 13 year-old Pepi was offered a spot in the FC Dallas Academy; that is where Ricardo thrived. During his time with the U-13 team he would score 18 goals in 15 matches. Pepi would then be promoted to the U-17 side as a 15 year old scoring 19 goals in 8 matches. It would take Pepi only a couple of years to move on from the same FC Dallas Academy that helped produce the likes of: Weston McKennie, the Funes Mori brothers, Chris Richards, Bryan Reynolds, Reggie Cannon, and many more.
Ricardo Pepi would make his Major League Soccer debut for FC Dallas in June of 2019. Now having scored 11 goals in 21 matches at the time of this article, Pepi has established himself as one of Major League Soccer’s best forwards.
All of this and Pepi is only 18 years of age.
The Summer Of Ricardo Pepi
Let’s face it unless you are a die-hard FC Dallas supporter or a staunch MLS fan the name Ricardo Pepi was relatively anonymous until this year. He’s of course one of Major League Soccer’s top young prospects but his prior to this season, he was fairly unknown. How did this change?
As I stated before Pepi has been tearing it up this season in MLS. So much so that the 18 year old striker was voted in to represent Major League Soccer in this summer’s inaugural MLS All Star Game vs. Liga MX. I would argue that his performance in the Skills Competition coupled with a game winning PK vs. Liga MX really pushed Pepi into the limelight.
The date of the MLS All Star Game was on August 25th. The very next day (over a tweet) Ricard Pepi would compound his new-found fame with a verbal commitment to represent the United States Men’s National Team over El-Tri.
Pepi would has been saying and doing all of the right things. In committing to the USMNT he stated:
- Ricardo Pepi; August 26th, 2021 (via. Twitter)
Pepi wouldn’t make his debut in Nashville but vs. Honduras in San Pedro Sula. As a starter against Honduras Pepi would work hard the entire match and eventually score the winner in San Pedro Sula, guiding the USMNT to a 2-1 victory vs. their Concacaf rivals, Honduras. Ricardo Pepi would not only make his USMNT debut but score in dramatic fashion…capping off what I’ve dubbed…’the summer of Pepi.’
Lastly before I go…here’s what you can expect from Ricard Pepi moving forward; Let’s briefly break down his play style & characteristics.
Ricard Pepi - Analysis/Play-Style
It’s no secret that Pepi has a knack’ for goals. The young USMNT star has had an incredible strike record everywhere he has played from the youth levels to present day (professional level). What is most noticeable when you watch Pepi is that although he has a flare for the dramatics (like his game winner we saw against Honduras) he does not look to dive into tackles, or embellish contact. Pepi is rather the type of player that can power through contact. This is uncommon in most young players but when it comes to Pepi it might have to do something with his confidence finishing inside of the box.
The overwhelming majority of Ricardo Pepi’s goals this season have been scored inside of the penalty area. Pepi has an extremely high soccer-IQ. In terms of positioning Ricardo always seems to be in the right place at the right time. But as we know that’s only half the battle and when Pepi finds himself in front of goal, he scores most chances that he gets. The 18 year old has a knack for making runs at the right time. Pepi also has a true predatory instinct but he does not let this drive create imbalance/or impatience in the midst of match. What I noticed most about Pepi against Honduras was how composed he remained the entire match. Even if Pepi does not score he is a very good defender. Ranked in the top-10% of MLS forwards for interceptions, Pepi can do it all.
Following a week where the USMNT community was met with shocking news of one fellow star selfishly putting himself before the team; here comes Pepi.
A player who seemingly not only ‘talks the talk,’ but also ‘walks the walk’…quite uncommon in this era. of professional soccer.
Thank you so much for tuning into State Of Soccer Weekly.
I will see you all next week…and until next time…
GO USMNT!!