US forward Ricardo Pepi says Augsburg move a worthwhile risk

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One of United States forward Ricardo Pepi’s biggest challenges since moving to Germany has been to convince people why he chose to join relegation-threatened Augsburg.

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The 19-year-old Pepi, who was arguably the brightest prospect in Major League Soccer after scoring 13 goals for FC Dallas last season, surprised many in early January when he switched to Augsburg, a relatively unspectacular club that has predominantly finished in the bottom half of the Bundesliga since it first earned promotion in 2011.

This season is proving to be another slog for the Bavarian club. Markus Weinzierl’s team has only won one of its last eight league games, and it currently occupies the relegation playoff place with 11 games remaining.

"In life you have take some risks, and that’s a risk I took to be able to come to Augsburg and be able to help the team," Pepi told journalists in an online video call this week.

The player had been close to joining Volkswagen-backed Wolfsburg, which qualified for the Champions League last season, while Liverpool and Manchester United were also reportedly interested. Some felt Bayern Munich might have been an option due to the Bavarian powerhouse’s partnership with FC Dallas.

File--- File photo shows Augsburg's Ricardo Pepi fighting for the ball during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer Leverkusen and FC Augsburg, at the Leverkusen BayArena, Germany, Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022. (Marius Becker/dpa via AP,file)

But Pepi landed at Augsburg, which broke its transfer record to sign the then-18-year-old for more than 13 million euros ($14.8 million) plus potential add-ons,