SEATTLE – As the story goes, Ricardo Pepi hung up the phone on former U.S. men’s national team coach Gregg Berhalter when he was informed that he didn’t make the 2022 World Cup roster. Less than four years later, Pepi was driving in the car with his father when he received a WhatsApp notification from Mauricio Pochettino. The message? He was part of the 26-man squad heading to this summer’s tournament on home soil. "I showed it to him and he immediately started crying a little bit," said Pepi – who was coached by his dad when he was a kid – back in May ahead of the USA's World Cup campaign. "B...
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