15-year-old leads U-17 Academy team with 19 goals in eight games this season
FRISCO – North Texas Soccer Club has signed FC Dallas Academy forward Ricardo Pepi to a four-year contract, pending league and Federation approval.
Pepi, 15, has 19 goals in eight appearances for the FC Dallas U-17 Academy team this season. He joined to the FCD Academy in 2016 from the club’s youth affiliate in his native El Paso. Eligible for both the U.S. and Mexico National Teams, he recently appeared three times as the youngest member of the U.S. U-17 National Team at the 2018 Nike Friendlies, scoring the game-winner in a 1-0 result over Turkey.
“It’s exciting that Ricardo Pepi is our first signing for North Texas SC,” said FC Dallas President Dan Hunt. “This is a player with an incredible nose for the goal and someone who does the right things, loves this club and was willing and able to commit his future to us. One day we want to see him scoring goals for the first team at FC Dallas but hopefully along the way here he scores a lot of goals for North Texas SC.”
During the 2016-17 Academy season, he appeared in 15 games and scored 18 goals for U-13 Academy team and scored 12 goals in 13 appearances for the U-14 Academy. Last year, Pepi moved up to the U-16s, where he appeared in 14 games and scored five goals.
Pepi is the 26th Academy-product signed to a professional contract by the FC Dallas organization and the first to utilize the new USL League One development pathway.
Transaction: North Texas SC signs forward Ricardo Pepi to a four-year contract on Dec. 6, 2018.
Name: Ricardo Pepi
Pronunciation: PEHP-e
Position: Forward
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 170 lbs.
Date of Birth: Sept. 12, 2003
Age: 15
Hometown: El Paso, TX
Country: USA
Last Club: FC Dallas Academy
How Acquired: Signed on Dec. 6, 2018
