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Ricardo Pepi’s mixed start at FC Augsburg: Goalless Servus

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Ricardo Pepi's mixed start at FC Augsburg: Goalless Servus

The commitment of Ricardo Pepi triggered an international hype that FC Augsburg has probably never experienced before. A few weeks and a made-up pee episode later, the 19-year-old American is still waiting for his first goal – and still has big goals.

At FC Augsburg, Ricardo Pepi seems to be fully capable of everything. Otherwise, the relegation candidate would not have made him by far the most expensive player in club history with a transfer fee of over 16 million euros. Otherwise, his teammates wouldn’t have asked him if he actually let coach Markus Weinzierl pee on him.

It was shortly after his arrival in Germany that the internet was just about to be overrun with Pepi content. Between the heaps of photos of the newcomer in Augsburg’s social media, an alleged quote from Pepi was mixed up. Accordingly, the 19-year-old reported that he had been peed on by coach Markus Weinzierl in the shower. That’s part of it!

“My teammates showed me that and asked me if that was true. I only replied that they should know that it can’t be true. After all, we hang out with each other every day,” said Pepi at a media round about a month ago.

Then he protested that he wanted to learn German as quickly as possible – so that he could understand made-up quotes and everything else himself. He takes German lessons once or twice a week. “He has already completely internalized ‘Servus’ as a greeting,” praises coach Weinzierl SPOX and GOALS.

Ricardo Pepi meets a different style of play in Augsburg

Pepi can already say more German words than he has scored goals for Augsburg. He hasn’t been able to celebrate in his 266 minutes of action so far, most recently he was only on the bench for 90 minutes twice.

“It would be unfair to expect too much from him too quickly. We will give him the time to develop in Augsburg. We are sure that he will give us a lot of pleasure,” says Weinzierl and assures: “Ricardo Pepi has everything that a good striker needs. He has a feeling for dangerous situations, has speed and technique and will quickly adapt to the way the Bundesliga is played.”

In Augsburg, Pepi not only has to get used to a new language, but also to a new type of football. At his former club FC Dallas, he mostly played as the sole center forward, which is also how the US national coach Gregg Berhalter uses him. Weinzierl, on the other hand, mostly relies on a double leadership – and on a different style of play. More speed, quick counterattacks. According to Pepi, these are “big differences” compared to what he was used to: “At FC Dallas we played slower, held the ball more. The pace is faster here. Everything is faster, everything is more intense.”

Ricardo Pepi speaks of the Europa and Champions League

The tenth place winner of the GOAL NXGN Awards 2022 actually knows how to move at high speed, at least in terms of his personal development. The Texan with Mexican roots was considered a child prodigy early on. Pepi made his MLS debut when he was 16. At 18, he completed a three-week trial with FC Bayern Munich, which has a partnership with Dallas. Then he fought for a regular place and scored more and more before surprisingly signing for FCA from tranquil Augsburg, who were threatened with relegation.

When Pepi talks about this decision, he likes to say one word over and over again: “Risk.” In fact, far more famous clubs were also interested in him, but apparently he saw the best chance of regular match practice and acclimatization to European football in Augsburg.

According to Pepi, he does not consider Augsburg to be a “passage station”, his contract runs until 2026. “Staying here for five years would be fine for me,” he says – and dreams of participating in the Europa League or the Champions League. “If I can do that with Augsburg, I would be happy to stay here for a long time.”

Is it refreshing US optimism? Or are these goals a bit too ambitious? Augsburg is finally fighting for relegation, the lead over Arminia Bielefeld on the first direct relegation zone is only one point. “I’m not worried about it,” says Pepi about an impending relegation.

Ricardo Pepi: “Handled very relaxed” with the hype

Relegation battle is the reality after the hype that the transfer triggered – after all, announced in Augsburg’s social media by the so-called transfer expert Fabrizio Romano with his millions of social media followers and his famous saying: “Here we go!” Pepi dealt with the hype “very loosely”, asserts Augsburg’s manager Stefan Reuter SPOX and GOAL: “He didn’t look like a 19-year-old. We didn’t and don’t have the impression that it bothered him.”

The transfer brought Augsburg international attention like never before. In the US, however, reporting has since been about the player rather than the club. “There are now more reports about Pepi, but no more about Augsburg,” says GOAL reporter Ryan Tolmich from the USA. A few thousand more people have followed Augsburg’s English-language Twitter account since the transfer, but the total number of around 34,000 is still relatively modest.

“Good luck to our boy today,” it said on Sunday. In the subsequent 5-1 victory of the US national team against Panama and the associated practically certain World Cup qualification, Pepi was not used at all. Instead, the 21-year-old Jesus Ferreira, who took over his place as a solo striker at Pepi’s former club Dallas, stormed. Pepi, on the other hand, is still waiting for his first competitive goal since October.

Ricardo Pepi’s performance data in the national leagues

season club games Gates assists
2019 FC Dallas 7
2020 FC Dallas 17 2 1
2021 FC Dallas 31 13 2
2021/22 FC Augsburg 6

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