The first thing you need to know about Ricardo Pepi is that I never believe he is 18 years old.
Maybe I didn’t realize the potential and hope of young people, and how young people today become more resilient. After all, they have to be like this, and Pepi is a Mexican-American in El Paso. He will also shuttle back and forth between Texas and Juarez. He is very aware of adapting, persisting and understanding the complexities of life. What sex means. Race, culture and language. This is what makes him so powerful, and why at the age of 18, he seems to be so sure of his identity.
“I think it’s great to have both,” Pepi said. Qué Golazo said! Daily CBS Football Podcast. For him, merging the two cultures gives him an advantage because it allows him to better understand what it means to represent his club Dallas FC and the US men’s national team. “Not only my family at home, but also the world around me. Dallas has a lot of Americans and Mexicans… not only learning English, but also Spanish, which is very helpful for you to communicate with others. When I walked out of the house, it was “American” culture, but when I was at home, it was Mexican culture — I often spoke Spanish and ate Mexican food at home — but also embraced my American culture at home, representing the United States, obviously land.”
“Let me tell you, you will be surprised,” he said with a smile. “My family? It’s all about the United States now. Obviously, we are still Mexicans and you have a culture, but when it comes to football, they are all about the United States now.”
Perhaps it is this intangible energy-and his confident performance-that helped Pepi be all the rage in the national team game. His relationship with American football began not long ago, when Gregg Berhalter and Co. established a foundation with players and his camp. As he continued his trajectory with Dallas Football Club-where he rose from their academy to play for USL’s North Texas Football Club, and eventually became a regular on the MLS team, including a game against Los Angeles in July The Galaxy’s hat-trick (the youngest treble in the league in history)-this relationship continues to evolve, and was eventually selected for the USMNT World Cup qualifier lineup (to catch up with every USMNT away qualifier on Paramount+) —Except Mexico——).
“I’m ready. Since I received the call, I have been ready for the opportunity to do my best for the team, as I said, I’m ready,” Pepi said, reflecting on the call. , About his decision and what happened next.
Well, we know what will happen next. We know it because it is still so fresh in our minds. After a frustrating first two games, Berhalt failed to defeat El Salvador and Canada respectively. The team fell behind Honduras 1-0 at halftime and entered the dressing room. Every American fan feels the pressure. The tweets and comments during the break have predicted the end of the world for the Stars and Stripes. “We’re here again,” is this sentiment.
So what is the inner feeling? What was the dialogue between the players as they sought change in the second half?
“There is a lot of positive conversation between the teams,” Pepi said. “We know we can change and reverse the game, so the communication between teammates is very special. I think we were out in the second half and controlled most of the game and turned the situation around.”
At the beginning of the second half, Anthony Robinson equalized early and Pepi’s time was in the 74th minute. DeAndre Yedlin’s brilliant cross found the FC Dallas star in the penalty area. He surpassed everyone in scoring thanks to a powerful header. This is the kind of clinical manifestation you see from a senior striker. But the 18-year-old issued a statement, stamped his name and made everyone yell.
The end is reminiscent of—I dare say—Robert Lewandowski. Therefore, it is not surprising that Bayern Munich has reportedly shown interest. Due to their player development partnership, the two clubs have established a strong relationship, which was established in 2018 and brought Chris Richards to the Bundesliga club. In fact, earlier this year, during the offseason, Pepi and some other local players went to Germany as part of a three-week match at Bayern. That was the peak of life in Europe, learning under different types of guidance.
“I want to make my level reach their level, I know there is still work to be done, but I am also very happy to know where I am compared to them,” Pepi said at the time. “Training with Bayern and seeing the experience of the European environment. This is my biggest gain.”
In Pepi’s ability, there is a Lewandowski style. Now, I urge everyone to calm down and not take this sentence as an exaggeration. This is not to compare these two players specifically, because that would be ridiculous. However, technically speaking, there is a similarity, and this is where my friend and colleague Heath Pierce was impressed when they first came up with it a few weeks ago.
When I mentioned it to Pepi, he just smiled and nodded confidently. “I compare my game with players like Robert [Lewandowski] and Erlin Harland,” he said. “I like to watch their actions, do some videos about them, and like to prepare for them, so Lewandowski is one of the best strikers in the world, and I like to compare myself to him. A lot. ”
When Pepi said he liked to make some videos about them, he was playing it. Pepi is a student of this sport. He recorded the game between Lewandowski and Haaland to study every touch, movement and position selection on the court.
As the topic turned to the European striker, he knew that the problem was coming. Will he see himself in Europe in the future?
Pepi said: “At the moment, my mind is here, now in this place [FC Dallas], we are in a very difficult situation now, so it’s important to go out and win the game.” “But whenever this decision comes, take it into consideration. In the future and Europe, that time will come, but now I am focusing on that moment and Dallas FC and the next few games.”
He will have to do this without Luchi Gonzalez, as the club dismissed him shortly after losing 3-2 to Houston Dynamo on Sunday. For Dallas, this is not a great season, with only six wins and nine draws. However, the playoffs are not impossible to achieve, but things must be reversed quickly. In any case, it is difficult for Pepi to say goodbye to Gonzalez. This is understandable because it is the nature of the business, but it is still very difficult.
“I have been with Luchi since I was 13 and he played an important role in my career and also joined the first team,” Pepi said. “I just want to thank him for everything he has done for me and my family, for supporting me at every step since I came here, thank him, I am here.”
As a Latino, dual citizenship, Mexican-American, Pepi also embodies the identity of this country. A child from two worlds was born in one world, nurtured by the other world and shaped by the two worlds. He welcomes this, he supports it, and most importantly, he looks forward to showing the United States that if they work hard enough, there will be millions of children ready to follow in his footsteps.
Throughout the conversation, we also clearly saw how eager he is to show everyone his abilities. One minute for Honduras is not enough. A hat-trick against the Galaxy is not enough. The winning penalty in the All-Star Game is not enough. Pepi wants more and wants to make sure we remember that there is more.
“This is a very important moment for me,” Pepi concluded. “I think I’m really ready for this moment, I’m ready for everything that is coming… I will accept everything.”
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Post time: Sep-28-2021