FC Dallas breakout star Ricardo Pepi has spoken on his decision to commit to the United States over Mexico, admitting that while the process wasn’t easy, it felt right in the end.
The forward was born to Mexican parents in El Paso, Texas, making him eligible for either national team in the eyes of FIFA. Given his talent, Pepi knew one day he would be forced to commit to one of two countries.
He experienced his first taste of international football at the age of 15 after being called up by both Mexico and the United States to feature for their Under-16 team, recalling the journey on the most recent episode of 90min’s newest podcast Football Americana.
“I was thinking about, when I first got called up to my first Mexico national team call up, I was 15 years old. Then, three months later, I got called to the first U-16 national team for the U.S.," he said.
"That’s when I was talking to my parents, 'Which one am I going to choose?' I was a little too young to even decide about the first team.”
