Ricardo Pepi, among the surprises that do not go to Qatar

The calls for the World Cup continue to give something to talk about and now the United States drew attention for one of its absences. The 19-year-old striker, Ricardo Pepi, was not chosen by Gregg Berhalter to play in the international tournament, despite his great resurgence in the Eredivisie with Groningen where he has scored five goals in eight games.

There was a lot of talk about his stance on choosing the United States over Mexico when he was going through the prime of his MLS career. Of Mexican parents, the striker was clear that his decision was made with his heart and with the idea of ​​continuing his path in soccer.

Unfortunately for his cause, Pepi had a lousy debut season in Europe, as with Augsburg he failed to score in 16 games, however he barely added just over 500 minutes in them, so his opportunities were few. With the record of being the most expensive American trained in the MLS in history – they paid 14.8 million dollars for him – expectations for the World Cup were high, however he will not participate.

“I am devastated not to be included in the final list for the World Cup. This year my goal was to put myself in one of the best possible positions to achieve that goal and I think I did, unfortunately it wasn’t enough. Being in the national team environment for several years, you learn that it is a privilege to represent your country, and I know that it is a place that is not easy to secure, ”the player wrote on social networks about his absence.

deportes@eleconomista.mx