USA striker Ricardo Pepi was spotted pole dancing in a Holland kit after he appeared to lose a bet on the World Cup last-16.
Pepi was a surprise omission from Gregg Berhalter’s side, who were knocked out of the tournament by the Dutch.
https://twitter.com/StefanBleekerUSA striker Ricardo Pepi has been seen wearing a Holland kit[/caption]
https://twitter.com/StefanBleekerHolland knocked USA out of the World Cup in the last-16[/caption]
Pepi, left, was snubbed for USA’s World Cup squad, but appears to have worn the Holland shirt after losing a betGetty Images – Getty
ReutersChristian Pulisic and Co suffered heartbreak at the hands of Holland[/caption]
Footage of Pepi, who plays in Holland for Gronigen, donning a Dutch kit was then posted to Twitter.
The 19-year-old was seen laughing as he jokingly danced around a pole.
But fans were quick to leap to the teenager’s defence.
Comments on social media claimed the snubbed USA striker was in fact forced to wear the Holland shirt after losing a bet with a team-mate.
There are no suggestions the 12-cap USA international wore the shirt to mock the 3-1 defeat to Holland in the last-16.
Pepi has scored six goals in nine league games for Gronigen this season, on loan from German outfit Augsburg.
And leaving the teenager out of USA’s World Cup squad raised some eyebrows pre-tournament.
Explaining the decision to leave out Pepi, Berhalter said: “The Dutch league, I think it’s a great league, but it doesn’t bring the same physicality that the Premier League or the Championship brings.
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“That was something that went into the decision.”
Pepi himself also admitted that it was “disappointing” to miss out on the squad.
He said: “[It’s] 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, like 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.
“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.”