At just 17, Ricardo Pepi has learned how to shake off the most powerful MLS defenders.
What he still can’t avoid is tidying up his room, taking the trash out, caring for his siblings and keeping the house in order while his parents are away working.
“It’s easier to score a goal than keeping the house clean,” said Pepi, laughing.
The 6-1, 170-pound forward has taken on a major role for FC Dallas this season despite his young age.
He has played 11 games — two as a starter — scored two goals, and is on track to become a key element of the offense along with Franco Jara, Santiago Mosquera, Bryan Acosta and Michael Barrios.
Relying on its youth, FCD sits in the top half of the MLS Western Conference and has a good chance of qualifying for the playoffs.
The club has highlighted its philosophy of developing and debuting young players coming out of its academy, and Pepi represents that flow of talent pumping up the franchise, which is still seeking its first MLS title.
Pepi was born and raised in San Elizario, a small community close to El Paso.
That’s where, at 7, he began to play soccer with the Lions FC, a team started by his father.
Soon after, Lions FC was integrated into FCD’s El Paso academy. Pepi’s outlook opened up to more possibilities.
“I know Pepi since he was 12.” said Luchi González, FCD head coach, who previously headed the FCD academy.
“One day I watched Ricardo play at the academy in El Paso, and I have been following him since,” González said.
Modest background
Omar Morín, Pepi’s first coach at the FCD academy in El Paso, recalled that as a child, Pepi didn’t stand out on the field.
“I met Ricardo when he was only 7 or 8. And, to be honest, I never thought he would go as far as he has,” said Morín, who coached Pepi’s team for two years before being named sports director of the El Paso FC Dallas academy, a job he held until 2019.
“Ricardo was a slow, little overweight boy,” recalled Morín, currently a high school teacher in El Paso and coach of the under-14 squad of Locomotive FC of the USL, the professional league a tier under the MLS.
Morín said Pepi became a different player at 11, when he learned how to move on the field and be more intelligent than the rest of his teammates and rivals.
“Ricardo never stopped working. His father instilled a strong work ethic in him. That helped him improve a lot,” said Morín, who recalled soccer helped Pepi become a good student.
“Frankly, Ricardo wasn’t that good at school,” Morín said.
Morin added: "One day he came up with low grades, and his dad wanted to punish him by taking him out of the team. I told him not to, that I would solve the problem.
“For a week, Ricardo showed up for practice, but I wouldn’t let him train. I bet that was one of the worst weeks of his life, but that was enough for him to understand that he couldn’t fail at school.”
A ‘quiet monster’
In 2016, Pepi arrived in North Texas with his parents and two younger siblings, after he was invited by González to join the FCD academy.
In 2019, the young forward had a brief stint with North Texas FC, playing 13 games — 12 as a starter — and scoring 11 goals.
His good performance with North Texas FC opened the doors of the MLS to him, debuting on June 22, 2019, against Toronto FC in Frisco.
In the coronavirus-shortened 2020 season, Pepi has 228 minutes in the 11 games he has played, with rival defenses already noticing his threat.
“Ricardo has a scoring mentality, he smells out the goal, he’s smart, and he finishes well with both legs close to the area,” González said.
“He’s a guy with dynamics, speed and versatility who also contributes sacrifice to the defense.”
González said Pepi is a quiet young man who transforms as soon as he touches the ball.
“He’s quiet, demure — but on the field, he becomes a monster,” he said.
“On the field, he’s very competitive, he yells a lot, demands the ball, he wants to win. He’s a winner.”
A grounded boy
Pepi comes from a modest background in the El Paso area. His parents, originally from Ciudad Juárez, are used to hard work. And that hasn’t changed for them.
Pepi’s mother has eight-hour workdays cleaning offices in North Texas. His father spends long days away from home working in construction.
Pepi said these days he must combine soccer, high school as a senior and work at home.
“When I get home from practice, I take care of our home because our parents are still working,” Pepi said.
“I look after my brother, who is taking classes online. And then I go out to pick up my sister from school. I do the cooking, I clean the house because my mom gets home very tired from work and I don’t want her to worry about anything when she gets home,” he said.
Pepi grew up watching the exploits of Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo on TV, images that made him fall in love with soccer.
He now dreams of playing in Europe and competing in a World Cup — either for Mexico or the United States.
“I will play with the national team that offers me the best opportunity to learn, develop myself and grow,” he said.
But in the meantime, Pepi keeps preparing himself academically.
While the young forward is only finishing high school, he has decided he wants to pursue a college degree affording him the knowledge to manage funds and run his own business.
“I’d like to one day open my own hotel or restaurant,” he said.
“I want to learn to invest in order to multiply what I can make in soccer,” said Pepi, who already knows what he will do as soon as he signs his first big contract.
“I’ll buy my parents a home and a car,” he said.
“They say that’s not necessary, that the most important thing is that I remain grounded and keep the family united. But as soon as I can, I will buy them a house.”
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