Ricardo Pepi gets a taste of United States-Mexico rivalry as an MLS All-Star
Ricardo Pepi is one of the top young talents in MLS, with Wednesday night’s All-Star game representing a chance for the FC Dallas striker to test the waters of the United States-Mexico rivalry.
The Wednesday night match between the MLS All-Stars and the best from Liga MX is a chance for Pepi, who is eligible to play for either the United States or Mexico, to get a feel for the heated soccer rivalry between the two nations. The 18-year old striker will surely be in demand from either sides of the border given his current form in MLS.
More from MLS Multiplex
- Javier Milei Elected in Argentina: Potential Impacts on MLS and Signings of Argentine Players
- Orlando City and New York City FC in the Battle for Matías Arezo; Grêmio Enters Negotiations! Who Will Come Out on Top?
- USA, Honduras, Panama, and Canada Close in on a Spot in the 2024 Copa America
- De Gea Turns Down Al-Nassr’s Lucrative Offer: Speculation Points to Possible Reunion with Messi at Inter Miami
- Messi’s Magnetic Impact in the United States
Ricardo Pepi: International Man of Mystery
On Tuesday, Ricardo Pepi appeared as a guest on ‘Counter Attack’ on Sirius XM. He mainly discussed how he first linked up with FC Dallas as a youth player but was asked about this first foray into the border rivalry with Mexico as an MLS All-Star.
The question from Brian Dunseth was perhaps a bit of a hint towards Pepi’s international future with either the United States or Mexico.
“I feel like right now I’m you know I’m representing the MLS,” Pepi said “And I feel that you know I should give everything to MLS and we definitely want to come up on top.”
‘Counter Attack’ is an afternoon show on Sirius XM that discusses a wide range of soccer topics in the United States as well as globally. The show is produced by Andrew Williams.
Pepi won the ‘Cross & Valley Challenge’ during Tuesday night’s light-hearted skills competition. The competition was won by Liga MX.
Ricardo Pepi’s rise
In 20 games played this season (15 starts), Ricardo Pepi has an impressive nine goals and an assist.
That Pepi is playing so well right now comes at an ideal time for the United States national team, with striker being one of the more concerning spots from the roster pool for head coach Gregg Berhalter. A very good argument can be made that Pepi is deserving of a call-up to the national this September for World Cup qualifiers or at the very least should be a part of the camp set-up to integrate him into the group.
Pepi has been a regular with the U17 United States national team since 2018. He played for the Americans in 2019 U17 World Cup.