Three American cities have multiple players on the United States Men’s National Team’s 26-player roster for the 2026 FIFA World Cup: El Paso, New York and Los Angeles.
Striker Ricardo Pepi (actually from San Elizario) and Juarez-born winger Alejandro Zendejas are making World Cup debuts, and both were suited up as potential reserves for the United States’ opening match against Paraguay in Los Angeles on Friday, June 12.
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In the World Cup, all 26 players on the roster can suit up and sit on the bench. Each team is allowed three stoppages, for a total of five substitutes.
Ricardo Pepi
Ricardo Pepi began the match against Paraguay on the bench as a potential sub. He is typically a late-match attacking option if the US is trailing or tied.
The 23-year-old Pepi grew up in San Elizario before joining the FC Dallas Academy at 13. He came through their system, making his senior club debut at 16 years old in 2019.
He went on to star for FC Dallas for three seasons as their No. 9 (center striker) before joining Bundesliga club FC Augsburg. He was later loaned to Eredivisie club FC Groningen, where he became a prominent player in the top Dutch league. In 2023, he signed with PSV Eindhoven for $9.8 million and helped his team to the 2023–24 Eredivisie title.
He did not make the 2022 World Cup roster, so this is his first World Cup. Pepi had 16 goals for Eindhoven this year in 26 appearances. In three friendly appearances for the USMNT, he had an assist against Senegal.
He has been linked to Fulham of the English Premier League, but a reported transfer fell through in the spring.
Alejandro Zendejas
Alejandro Zendejas began the match against Paraguay on the bench as a potential substitute. He is typically a mid-second-half option in an attacking midfield role.
The 28-year-old Zendejas grew up on the West side of El Paso, having been born in Juarez, and attended Hornedo Middle School when he was called up to the FC Dallas Academy as a 13-year-old in 2012.
He worked his way up to the senior club, and when he made his FC Dallas debut in 2015 at 17, he was the youngest player in MLS. He joined Guadalajara Chivas of Mexico’s Liga MX in 2016 and played there for four years before joining Necaxa in 2020–2021.
He was at Club America the next year and has been there ever since.
Growing up, he played on both Mexican and American age-group national teams before making a full-time commitment to the USMNT in 2023.
In 12 matches for America this year, he had six goals and four assists. He subbed on in the friendly against Senegal on May 31, his only USMNT appearance in the recent three-match friendly window.
Is Diego Luna playing in the World Cup?
The 22-year-old Diego Luna, who played for the El Paso Locomotive in 2021-22, was a surprising omission from the 26-player US World Cup roster. The most commonly given explanation is that manager Mauricio Pochettino favored European club experience, which Luna lacks, over MLS experience.
The last player on the roster picked ahead of Luna was presumed to be Gio Reyna, who has played sparingly for his German Bundesliga club, Borussia Mönchengladbach, but has been in that league for six seasons.
Luna also had an injury that ruled him out of the USMNT’s March friendlies, the team’s last chance to make an impression. He returned in good form with his club, Real Salt Lake, but was ultimately not chosen for the USMNT FIFA World Cup roster.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached, bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on X.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso’s Ricardo Pepi, Alejandro Zendejas on bench for WC debut
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