Two El Pasoans share pitch at the World Cup: Alex Zendejas makes World Cup debut; Ricardo Pepi starts second straight WC match

LOS ANGELES, California - It was a special moment for two El Paso soccer players Thursday night in Los Angeles, CA.

It was the final match for Team USA in Group D play against Turkey.

The U.S. had already clinched first place in the group, so several starters for the U.S. did not play in Thursday's game.

That opened the door for other players on the roster to get playing time.

El Pasoan Alex Zendejas finally made his FIFA World Cup debut, while El Paso's Ricardo Pepi made his second straight start for Team USA.

Pepi played the whole match against Turkey.

Zendejas entered the game in the 77th minute, so for the rest of the match two El Pasoans shared the pitch on soccer's biggest stage.

The U.S. would come out on the losing end to Turkey by a final score of 3-2.

Turkey would score the game winner in stoppage time in the 98th minute of the match.

The final result had no effect on Team USA's standing in the knockout round.

Their next match will be against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32.

The match will be played Wednesday in Santa Clara, California.