Bundesliga: FC Augsburg sign USMNT forward Ricardo Pepi from FC Dallas
Jan 03, 2022
Augsburg [Germany], January 3 : The Bundesliga club FC Augsburg on Monday confirmed the signing of United States national team (USMNT) star forward Ricardo Pepi from FC Dallas.
The 18-year-old joins through June 2026 with an additional option year. The teenager forward had 13 goals and three assists in 31 Major League Soccer (MLS) appearances during the 2021 season.
He also made his USMNT debut and quickly took over as their preferred striker in Concacaf's Octagonal, with three goals and three assists in six World Cup qualifying matches. Pepi was named 2021 MLS Young Player of the Year and US Soccer Young Male Player of the Year.
Pepi completed a medical at Augsburg's training ground on Monday before putting pen to paper on a contract. He expressed his delight after sealing the switch to Augsburg Arena, telling the club's official website: "It was my dream to move to Europe after the last MLS season."
"I see FC Augsburg and the Bundesliga as the perfect environment to be able to collect a lot of match practice at the highest level as a young player. It was impressive how much the people in charge tried to help me. So from the very first moment, I had a really good feeling that Augsburg was exactly the right club for me."
"I'm looking forward to my new colleagues and would like to join the team as soon as possible and can hardly wait for it to start," he added.
Augsburg sit 15th in the 18-team German Bundesliga, just a point above relegation at the league's halfway point.
