Add a few more teams to the rumor mill. I take all of these rumors with a grain of salt, but pass them on anyway....................... I’m told that Ajax, Roma, and Galatasaray all had scouts to watch Ricardo Pepi at #DTID’s game in Vancouver last weekend, and that Ajax and Galatasaray met with Pepi’s representatives. The 18-year-old has 12 goals for Dallas this season and his set for a move to Europe. pic.twitter.com/eqGMAw6yeM— MLS News (@willhansonmls) September 29, 2021
His potential would not be stunted. Another year in MLS would have him leaving at 19 instead of 18, as a full-blown starter. MLS is not a park league. But I don't think he and Dallas will pass up the money to leave. It will be too lucrative.
Not sure if we are talking about the same thing or not. I was not saying his potential or growth would be stunted in FCD. I think there is quite a bit of room for him to continue his improvement at FCD. In Europe, it could go north or south depending on his destination. He needs to be careful in making his choice. Bottom line is the most important factor at this point in his career, imo, is playing time. That playing time should be at the highest level he is capable of succeeding but he has to play. As you say, I think the money will make it impossible for him to stay at FCD. He still needs to be very careful to make the right choice.
I don't think it's unreasonable to think he (other than financially) and the USNT would be better off if he waited until after the '22 WC. His comparison and analysis of Sargent is certainly suspect though. I think Pepi will do fine wherever he goes (and he should), but playing time is most important for him and the USNT in the short term. This should be a well thought out move. It's always a risk to transfer unless @taylor is your agent. Whoever that tweet referenced to hoping he stays until 2026... lol.
I don't think his potential would be stunted if he stayed and it would certainly put him in a better place than if he were to end up in a Sargent like situation than in Europe. But on the other hand if he were to find the right situation (like an Ajax) than his development will definitely be accelerated. It's all about finding the right fit and not necessarily going to the biggest name club or league.
the windows on these things can close quickly. i agree that the wrong club in europe is not better than being in MLS. but thats easy to avoid. staying in MLS is risky and low-ceiling. he needs to go now when he is being invited....granted the situation is right, obviously.
The only argument I see for him staying is the WC being a year away. If he is ready to go, it is much better to start making the transition sooner. I definitely think he needs to choose wisely, but wouldn't have a problem if he didn't play much in early 2022 as he gets acclimated. The part about Sargent was the worst of it. Suggesting he has regressed is just idiotic. He had improved immensely in pretty much every aspect of the game except finishing. Playing on a poor team where he is asked to do so much has definitely affected how he plays and his confidence in front of goal. That could change at any time. I think Sargent needs a better team, but the take was way over the top.
Yup. But of course according to Zanotta, no formal bids have actually been submitted. It just depends whether a club meets their evaluation. There's really no reason to be concerned here. FCD has shown a willingness to sell early. Reynolds and Tessmann had barely started playing for the club and they sold them. Richards hadn't yet played a game, and they sold him. The transfer window isn't actually open, so there really isn't an incentive for FCD to sell right now.......................unless they receive a bid that absolutely wows them.
In summary, he needs a move to a higher level, but not so much higher that he's benched the whole time. And then not sent to the club's lower-division B team or their youth team either. Or a crappy loan deal to a team that has no interest in his development. So basically all the stars have to align just right, and in a World Cup year no less. And we know by now what a crap shoot that is. Which is why I'd be perfectly fine with him spending next season with Dallas, where his upward trajectory continues, along with his playing time and goal-scoring.
Bayern Munich probably have, effectively, a right of first refusal on FCD players. After that, I suspect the Italian teams seem very serious.
Pepi has a say in this. Bayern's deal is with FCD. No doubt they have better access to Pepi but in this case, I don't believe there is any "right of first refusal".
No one agrees with me, but I think we are so invested in proving that "our guys" can make it in Europe that we think that every 18 year old has to leave immediately. Getting a couple good seasons in MLS is a good thing, if he chooses to do so. People in the various threads talking about Pepi have pointed to Bayern as a potential destination because of the relationship with FCD, over and over again. And often they speak of him being a replacement for Lewandowski. Well where was Lewandowski at 18? Coming off a year on a reserve squad in Poland. At 20? Coming off a year on a 2nd division squad in Poland. At 22? He had just come off 2 seasons on a 1st division squad in Poland and put pen to paper with Dortmund. But somehow staying until 19 with "low ceiling" MLS is something that should have us worrying about his future? Good grief, a guy like Kante never touched a 1st division until he was 23. Getting good training and consistent time on the field is what Pepi needs. He can do that as much with Dallas as Lewa was able to do it with 2nd division Znicz Pruszkow's RESERVE TEAM (which is where he played) at the age of 19. I think Lewa turned out pretty ok. Pepi will too.
While you all were whining Pepi scored again Another #USMNT call-up today.Another @FCDallas goal tonight.Ricardo Pepi pulls one back for the home side. pic.twitter.com/dFTA03VsEp— Major League Soccer (@MLS) September 30, 2021
Yeah, this is a little different from say...............Chris Richards. Chris also moved to Bayern at 18 from FCD. But he had nowhere near the track record or reputation that Ricardo has. So it was OK for Chris to move there, play in the reserves for a while, and then eventually get a nice loan to Hoffenheim. We want Ricardo to play first team soccer right away. Bayern Reserves are in the 4th division right now. We don't want a Bryan Reynolds situation either. He's in a big Euro first team, but not playing. I just think the pricetag on Ricardo is going to be such that the clubs able to pay it are narrowed down considerably (particularly during this COVID period). Can Ajax pay that? Sure. They paid 15 million for Edson Alvarez from Club America. Can other Dutch teams? Ehhhhh. No. Feyenoord, for instance has never paid more than 8 million for a player. So its a weird space where the clubs able to afford Ricardo are the ones where playing time might not be available right away. Ajax has pretty damn good #9s right now. Haller is good. Maybe the idea is to sell him................. I also think, by the way, that FCD doesn't look like a great situation. They're going to go thru a ton of turnover this offseason. I don't know what they're going to be next season at all. I don't know who the coach is going to be. Its sort of a weird spot. We REALLY want him to be playing full-time thru WCQers and the 2022WC. What does that mean? Staying at the FCD mess? How much more is he going to learn there? But if he's sold to a big Euro club in January, what is the likelihood that he plays much in the spring of 2022?
I do think Sargent is a cautionary tale of how a poor fit in Europe can be a bad thing. I don't always understand the balance of power when it comes to a transfer like this, but I really want Pepi to find the right fit or else stay with FCD. I think MLS is at a point where you don't just automatically jump at the first (or even one of the first few) European offers. Pepi and his advisors really need to be looking at the overall fit, culture, playing time, etc. and providing that input when thinking about his eventual transfer. Different context, but I'm sure Gonzalo Pineda had opportunities to be a head coach but waited for what he felt was the right opportunity. I fully realize that FCD will push for something to maximize their value with Pepi, but I sure hope they take his future into account and facilitate a transfer somewhere that will be beneficial for him as well.
I understand your post. I just think that there is this weird idea that unless you are on some big "top 5" league team in Europe, you are not learning anything. That is the notion I wholeheartedly reject. Lewandowski was on a 2nd division Polish squad's reserve team at 19 years old. People seem to think you only learn under the most perfectly sanitary conditions. This is a competition, and that ain't how competition works.
I get it. I completely agree with you. Particularly with #9s, the development track can be slower and steadier. What was Didier Drogba doing when he was 19? Hell, Brian McBride was chasing coeds around SLU. What might work is for FCD's partner club, Bayern Munich, to buy the player in January. Then they can loan him to FCD for the 2022 MLS season. That would take us thru WC qualifying and hopefully the 2022WC. Then he can join up with Bayern after that. He'll still only be 19 after all. Failing that, just wait to buy him until the summer 2022 transfer window. I do think a lot of this depends on the level of Bayern's interest. They've had the player into their facility in Munich. They know him. As they're FCD's partner club, we can't overlook that as the most likely scenario. Even if they don't think of him as a future first team player, they might think of him as an investment. Think of the Chris Richards situation. They bought him for 1 million. They reportedly turned down 20 million from the Premier League this past window. Even if FCD gets 40% of this next fee, Bayern is going to make out like bandits. I can envision a scenario in which Bayern pays 20 million this January for Pepi and Che as a package. Heck, they could take the profit from a Richards sale and buy Pepi/Che.
I certainly expect Pepi to leave this winter, and have already said so last night in this thread. The money is going to be too tempting. I 100% understand that reality. With that in mind, I only hope he ends up in a good situation, wherever he lands. I am only pushing back on the notion that a failure to leave Dallas, immediately, is akin to a complete loss of development opportunity. It is not. He is in a position to get these lucrative offers in fair part BECAUSE Dallas has been so good at developing players. Staying and playing regularly, with the pressure of expectations of being the main man from the beginning of a season, for 1 season, would be quite an opportunity to develop the mind. But if he gets the big move that he likely wants, I am here with my pom-poms the same way.
That is nebulous though as teams don't stay mid table ask McKennie and Sargent about that. There is risk in not going as he cools off or gets injured or FCD buys another big money striker for no reason and plays them because ... the Hunts! It's unfortunate that right now at 18 he may be our best forward. Normally he'd get time to move and improve but if gets into a bad situation it could really hurt the US so in a way he may have to balance what he does. certainly other players have done this in years before World Cups before though. Glad you brought this up because staying could be the right decision but right now not knowing the coach, the style and what the team will look like is every bit as dangerous as moving to the wrong team. Pepi has a tough decision to make and I hope he gets some really good advice and with some luck gets the right offer that lets him get minutes against the best competition he's ready for.
sargent's situation changed a lot based on the fortunes of his club...werder had been in the bundesliga for a long time and wasnt a team youd expect to get relegated. hes still in the EPL but his situation is far from ideal. theres a always some unforseeable elements to picking a spot. schalke is another team you would never expect to get relegated either....coaching changes happen. fortunes can turn.... staying at fcd is full of unknowns as well..... but yeah theres a lot of different agendas at play in a single player transfer so it is a bit lucky when it all aligns to all parties best interests. at the end of the day, the players who dont go when they can often dont get another chance down the road. at 18 theres still time...but not as much as you might think. kellyn acosta is a good example, imo.
Lewa is an exceptional player. It's probably better to assume that Pepi will be a less exceptional player. Because of that, I'm all for him following a more traditional route to stardom. Needless to say, FC Dallas is not a traditional route to stardom. As Sir Alex once said when Kenny Cooper Jr. asked for a release from his Manchester United contact, "For fook sake, you can always play in Dallas."
Lewa was a scrawny teenager. He had talent but was deemed too short and skinny and was released by his academy at age 16. Legia just got impatient with his physical maturation. He had to work his way back up from there. Story is interesting because his club stubbornly declined to bring him back when they had the chance and it was evident he was starting to make waves. “However, after just a single season with Legia, the striker was released from their academy with an all too familiar cause at the root of their decision. They deemed the striker to be too short and too skinny; in their eyes, Robert Lewandowski would never make it as a footballer” https://thesefootballtimes.co/2017/...rney-from-club-less-teen-to-striking-royalty/
Yep, but that further proves my point. He was literally given up on, and relegated to lower level teams, yet STILL ended up being great while being trained by those lower level teams and playing against what we would deem to be lesser competition. Again, that is precisely the point I am making with Pepi. Success and development is not all about being on the richest and most renowned team possible, at the earliest available time. Often, as with Lewa, it is about forging yourself through the fire of less than ideal conditions, in which your will and determination are tested.