At the start of the year, MLS side FC Dallas signed 20-year-old Diego Pepi who had just come off of a historic title winning season with MLS Next Pro affiliate, North Texas SC. With Pepi still young and looking for a way to develop as a player, “El Trencito” joined Texoma FC in USL League One on a season long loan.
“The opportunity to play for Texoma in USL League One was one I couldn’t pass up,” said Pepi. “I wanted to have the opportunity to play and develop as a player and as a person. I felt that the USL League One and Texoma FC were the perfect spot to help me achieve this.”
When first approached about the opportunity of having Pepi join on loan, Coach Forbes said that it was an opportunity the team needed to act upon.
“It’s great that an MLS team like FC Dallas were prepared to trust us with one of their players for the next stage of their development,” said Forbes. “Once we brought him in, it was just about getting him around the club and into our environment. His attitude, work rate, and desire to listen and learn has been really impressive to me.”
After making the move official in February of this year, “El Trencito” got right to work, scoring 4 goals in 3 pre-season matches. Unfortunately, Pepi would pick up an injury during Los Pájaros’ home opener that would require him to get surgery. For 3 months, he would work hard to return to fitness and on June 28 would make his triumphant return against Phoenix Rising in the USL Jägermeister Cup, scoring a brace. Who did he celebrate with? Coach Adrian Forbes.
“Since the first day, he believed in me and since then has always reminded me to believe in myself,” said Pepi. “When I came back from injury and scored, I celebrated with him because he’s the one who believed in me all this time.”
“El Trencito” continues to carve his own path in Texoma, surpassing his total goals scored compared to his time in North Texas SC in less than half the amount of games. Something to note is that, despite coming back from injury, Pepi has started in 55% of games he’s been available to play in and when on the bench, has always seen the field.
Pepi’s run of form is the result of Coach Forbes’ and Texoma FC’s philosophy of developing the younger players on the roster to help them excel. Statistically, Texoma FC is one of the youngest teams in USL League One, with an average age of 25.
Coach Forbes said, “My background is in football development and development of young players. A part of a footballer’s development is learning how to win. As a club, we want to develop players that, at the end of the day, can achieve their full potential at Texoma FC and unlock doors for them in the future.”
With 13 league games left to play, “El Trencito” is looking to make the most of the time he has left playing for “Los Pájaros”, aiming to score more goals and establish himself as a household name in the US soccer landscape.
