Ricardo Pepi exploded for a hat trick to spark FC Dallas to an emphatic 4-0 victory over the LA Galaxy at Toyota Stadium on Saturday.
Pepi continued his breakout campaign by striking for a trio of lethal finishes in the 27th, 44th and 50th minutes before Jáder Obrian added a late insurance tally, delivering Luchi Gonzalez's group all three points.
Pepi got FC Dallas up top in the 27th minute, keeping his stellar run of recent form going with an opener that marked his fourth straight home match with a goal. The 18-year-old forward snuck behind the LA back line and controlled a through ball from Andres Ricaurte, making no mistake with the finish past Galaxy goalkeeper Jonathan Bond.
He then found the brace right on the stroke of halftime, nodding down a Jesus Ferreira corner kick and burying another well-taken strike to the far post, doubling FC Dallas' lead heading into intermission.
Pepi wasted little time completing the hat trick, striking for a third shortly after the restart in the 50th minute. It was another class finish from the homegrown product, as he took a feed from Szabolcs Schön and tucked away a perfectly placed shot into the lower right corner.
FC Dallas able to more or less cruise from there, although Pepi very nearly added a fourth in the 72nd minute after getting free on a breakaway against Bond and lacing a shot on target that Bond managed to deny with a diving save. The hosts would get their fourth, however, as Obrian got on a breakaway of his own in the 88th minute and converted his look underneath bond to seal the 4-0 final.
