Footage has emerged showing USA striker Ricardo Pepi pole dancing in a nightclub whilst wearing a Netherlands shirt after his country’s World Cup exit.
Louis van Gaal’s team swept the USMNT aside after goals from Memphis Depay, Daley Blind and Denzel Dumfries sealed a 3-1 victory, Haji Wright was the scorer for the US.
The Netherlands will now face Argentina in the quarter-finals.
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After the match, a video surfaced which showed USA striker Pepi dancing around a pole whilst wearing the famous Dutch orange shirt. You can watch the footage below.
In the video, Pepi was seen putting on a Netherlands shirt with Atalanta midfielder Hans Hateboer’s name on the back.
People watching were heard chanting his name as he danced around the pole. It appears that Pepi had to wear the Dutch jersey as a result of losing a bet.
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The 19-year-old striker, who currently plays for Eredivisie side FC Groningen on loan from German Bundesliga side FC Augsburg was thought to be a surprise omission from Gregg Berhalter’s World Cup squad.
After missing out on a place in the travelling squad to Qatar, Pepi said: “Disappointing because I felt like I gave myself the best opportunities to be in the World Cup roster.
“I felt like I had a chance, but also not disappointing at the same time because, as I said, I did my thing, I went out there, I played many minutes, I scored my goals. I’m really happy with that situation.
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“At the end of the day, it’s a coach’s decision that I can’t control. I feel like once he told me, I wanted to flip the page as soon as possible and just focus on the game now. I can’t keep thinking about why I didn’t make it or why I did.”
Pepi was born in El Paso, Texas and started his football career with MLS side FC Dallas before moving to Germany in 2022.
In 10 appearances for FC Groningen this season, Pepi has managed to find the back of the net seven times.
Topics: Netherlands, USA, Football, Football World Cup
Marcus Chan