'We back!' - Ricardo Pepi celebrates USMNT call-up after heartbreaking World Cup snub

• Pepi looked a lock for WC squad
• But lost his form just before Qatar
• Berhalter left him at home as a result

WHAT HAPPENED? Pepi previously said he hung up on then-USMNT boss Gregg Berhalter when he was told he wasn't going to the World Cup, frustrated that his club form at Augsburg had convinced the manager to select other options at striker. Now, he's back in the team for this month's Nations League fixtures and eager to prove his worth.

"We back," he wrote on Twitter alongside two heart-shaped hand emojis.

WHAT THEY SAID: “I remember exactly the moment - I hopped on a phone call with the national team coach, he said I wasn't on the roster so then I just hung up the phone on him," Pepi recalled in an interview about his World Cup snub in January.

Asked if he sought any explanation for the decision, Pepi added: “No, not really to be honest. I was in shock, it took me five minutes to get it in my mind. I just couldn't believe it - I called my agent immediately and then I called my dad. They thought I was playing with them. It was something that I was shocked about to be honest. I use every situation and every situation like this is always going to make hungry.”

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THE BIGGER PICTURE: Pepi's time at Augsburg after a move from FC Dallas did not get off to a good start, but he's playing much better during his loan with Groningen. He just hit double-digit goals for the season.

IN A PHOTO:

Getty Images

DID YOU KNOW? Pepi become the youngest player to ever net an MLS hat-trick when he scored three times against the LA Galaxy in 2021 at 18 years and 196 days old.

WHAT NEXT FOR PEPI? Pepi will feel urgency to impress in the USMNT's upcoming matches, as fellow American striker Daryl Dike is on a hot streak of his own and Arsenal loanee Folarin Balogun could be convinced to join the Stars and Stripes before the 2026 World Cup.

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