The Ricardo Pepi hype train has made a stop in Los Angeles, where the FC Dallas forward will compete in the MLS All-Star Game on Wednesday night for the first time in his young career (9 pm ET | FS1, Univision, TSN, TVA Sports).
The 18-year-old stopped by the Extratime Live set at Banc of California Stadium to talk about his rise to stardom in 2021 with co-hosts Andrew Wiebe and David Gass.
“I feel like it's a season where I’ve matured a lot,” Pepi said. "I’ve been given the opportunity to play, to start and I've taken advantage of these opportunities. I feel like this season is one of those seasons where I just got to grow a lot as a player.”
This first-of-its-kind MLS All-Star Game, which pits the best of MLS against Liga MX foes, is particularly special for Pepi. Growing up in El Paso, Pepi and his family were immersed in Mexican soccer. They watched El Tri matches and Liga MX contests every Saturday and Sunday.
“It’s special because I grew up watching Mexican soccer in general,” the Texas native said. “I didn't really watch MLS when I was younger. My family has been about all Mexican, we watched the national team, we watched [Liga MX] and I feel like this moment where it all comes together is very special and I’m very excited to be here.”
Pepi is the latest in a growing number of dual-nationals being recruited by both the US men's national team and the Mexican national team. He’s previously represented the US on the youth level and said he's received interest from both camps.
“You have to make a decision based on how you feel with a team,” Pepi said. "If you feel the national team is closer to you than the other, then I feel that’s the national team that's going to support you at all times and I feel like that’s the team you have to go with.”
That’s just one of the big career decisions on the horizon for Pepi, who recently signed a five-year contract extension amid reported interest from Bologna of Serie A and other Italian sides. Last winter, he was among the club's contingent of homegrowns who trained with partner side Bayern Munich.
Could Pepi be the next FC Dallas homegrown to make the leap to Europe?
“FC Dallas have been doing a great job ever since I was 13,” Pepi said. "I feel they’ve given me the opportunity to start now and I’m pretty sure they’re going to give me the opportunity to go other places and keep growing as a player.”
For more from Extratime Live, check out the complete show here.
