EL PASO, Texas (KFOX 14, CBS4) — For El Paso natives, Ricardo Pepi and Alex Zendejas, a lifelong dream is about to become a reality. The pair are set to represent the United States at the 2026 World Cup. While their journeys to the national team have taken them to different corners of the globe, both Pepi and Zendejas began their climb to the top at FC Dallas El Paso.

FC Dallas El Paso was created to identify and develop local talent with the potential to reach the professional level. It was there that both Pepi and Zendejas first displayed the talent and determination that would eventually carry them to the highest levels of the sport.

“I started seeing that they were a little bit special when they were about 11 or 12 years old,” Mike Lopez, the director of FC Dallas El Paso, said. “It was like wow. They were at the age where they were developing. Some develop a bit more, and that is when you know they have the potential to be a pro player.”

Zendejas progressed to the FC Dallas Academy in 2012 at the age of 13. He later became the first homegrown player from an affiliate to sign a professional contract with FC Dallas.

“He was always taking players on,” Lopez, who first met Zendejas when he was seven, said. “He was never a prima donna, always level-headed. He always worked hard. Alex was a little bit shorter than the other kids his age, but you could tell the talent. He was amazing with the ball at his feet.”

Pepi followed a similar path. Pepi first joined FC Dallas El Paso when he was 10. When he was 13, Pepi moved up to the FC Dallas academy. After making his professional debut with North Texas SC, Pepi signed with FC Dallas in 2019

“Ricardo has always been a smart player,” Lopez, who is friends with Pepi’s father Daniel, said. “He was a little bit taller and longer than the other kids. That made him stand out a little bit on the field. He’s been a great goalscorer since he was a little kid. He always wanted to be better and would stay after practice to work with the coaches.”

At this summer’s tournament, Pepi and Zendejas will offer different attacking talents for the USMNT. Pepi, a striker, will be relied upon to score goals. He also impressed with his hold up and link up play in the US’s recent friendly against Senegal, where he recorded an assist. Pepi scored 19 goals in 34 games in all competitions this season for PSV Eindhoven. He has played 36 times for his country and has scored 13 times.

Zendejas offers creativity in the attacking third and is a maverick off the right wing. Zendejas was among the standout performers in Liga MX this season. Zendejas scored 12 goals and created seven assists for Club America in 33 total games. Zendejas has 14 caps for the US with two goals, including a stunning volley against Japan.

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They will play different roles on the pitch, but they also bring almost opposite personalities to the locker room.

“Ricardo is real quiet and doesn’t talk a lot., but he is a great guy,” Lopez said. “Alex is a little bit more outgoing. He is always the jokester, cracking jokes and laughing. He is always smiling. That is the way his personality is.”

Now, as they prepare for the World Cup, Pepi and Zendejas have become role models for the next generation of El Pasoans. They are inspiration that dreams born in the borderline can become a reality. I think they are a big inspiration for all the kids in El Paso.”

“They are a great inspiration,” Lopez said. “I tell every kid that Ricardo and Alex were playing on these fields like you are playing. They just worked hard to achieve their dreams and it worked out for them.

Pepi, Zendejas and the United States will face Germany on Saturday in the their final friendly ahead of the World Cup. The US will open their tournament against Paraguay on June 12.

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