On Monday, FC Dallas 18-year-old striker Ricardo Pepi joined German Bundesliga side FC Augsburg for around €17 million ($20 million) to become the most expensive homegrown player in the history of MLS.
Pepi had an incredible 2021 with 13 goals in 31 league appearances for Dallas and (after a tough decision over who to represent internationally) a call-up to the United States men’s national team, which saw him record a goal and two assists in his debut against Honduras and two more goals in his second appearance vs. Jamaica.
The transfer was quite a coup for Augsburg — a side who have finished between 12th and 15th for the past six seasons. Sitting just above the relegation zone, Augsburg fought off competition from Bundesliga rivals Wolfsburg, while a host of top clubs — including Liverpool, Manchester City, Ajax, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich — had also been linked with Pepi.
So what can we expect from the teenage sensation? And is Augsburg the right move for him?
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Where has he come from?
Moving from El Paso, Texas, to Dallas at the age of 13 (with his family following a year later), Pepi is the latest Europe-bound prodigy to emerge from the brilliant FC Dallas academy. Chris Richards (Bayern), Bryan Reynolds (Roma) and Reggie Cannon (Boavista) blazed a trail before him, but Pepi has incredible potential.
After a stint at North Texas SC (Dallas’ affiliate club in USL League One), he made his MLS debut in 2019 after signing his first contract as a 16-year-old. He showed real maturity as a regular first-team player and netted three goals in 20 games in 2020 but then kicked things up a notch in his breakout season last year.
His improvements on a technical, tactical and physical level have been such that he leaves MLS as complete a centre-forward as he could be at such a young age. If his 2021 season was a sign of things to come, the striker stands a good chance of becoming a hit…
Source : espn
