Ricardo Pepi admitted he's got plenty of work ahead of him after making his first start for Augsburg in Sunday's 1-1 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt.
The U.S. international made his second appearance for his new side after his reported $20 million (£15m/€18m) move from FC Dallas this month, playing 84 minutes in the Bundesliga match.
Pepi was active and nearly scored on a pair of occasions, saying afterwards that he's working on adjusting to a higher level of play in the Bundesliga.
What was said?
"It was a good game," Pepi told DAZN after the game. "I feel like the team fought out there.
"It was a tough game, obviously, but we're disappointed a little bit because we felt like we could have done a lot more, but we've got to move on and focus on the next game."
Next Match
The 19-year-old said that he "feels good" in his new surroundings but added that he "still has a lot to do."
"The Bundesliga is much more intense than MLS," Pepi said. "You have less space and less time. You have to adapt to that."
Pepi's rise to prominence
Pepi has seen his stock skyrocket over the past year as he became a mainstay for club and country prior to his 19th birthday last week.
The striker scored 13 times for FC Dallas in the 2021 MLS season, leading to interest from a host of top sides across Europe.
Pepi also made his case to be the starting striker for the USMNT, scoring three goals in his first seven international appearances.
Augsburg broke their club-record transfer to land the Texas native as they aim to secure Bundesliga safety this season.
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=640&quality=60)
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=640&quality=60)
