Ricardo Pepi claims that he hung up on Gregg Berhalter during a phone call before the 2022 World Cup. The call from the USMNT head coach was to tell the forward that he was not on the World Cup roster. Pepi explained the incident during an appearance on the Kon Veel Minder podcast.
When asked if he remembers when he found out about the slight, Pepi assured that he remembered “the exact moment.”
“I got a phone call with the head coach of the national team, and you know, he said I wasn’t on the list. So I just hung up the phone on him,” Pepi said.
Ricardo Pepi did not bother to question Gregg Berhalter
The center forward was then asked if he ever asked why he was left off the World Cup roster.
“No, not really to be honest,” Pepi replied. “It was something that left me in a state of shock. I was in shock because it took me like five minutes to get it in my mind, you know?
“At first, I just couldn’t believe it. And then she was talking to the coach. Then when we got off the phone, I called my agent right away. So, I called my dad. And they thought he was playing with them. I was surprised to be honest”
The teenage striker is having a good season in Europe
Pepi is currently on successful loan at Dutch club Groningen. The 19-year-old striker has scored seven goals in 10 total appearances for the club. He has also added two assists during this stretch. Six of these seven goals were scored before Berhalter’s announcement of the World Cup roster.
The United States struggled to score during the tournament in Qatar. He managed just three goals in total in four matches at the World Cup. Poland was the only other team to qualify for the knockout round to score as few as three goals in the competition.
PHOTO: IMAGO / Icon Sportswire
