Nick Perera
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nicolas Perera | ||
| Date of birth | 5 June 1986 | ||
| Place of birth | Madrid, Spain | ||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | San Diego Sockers | ||
| Youth career | |||
| K.N.S. Tervuren | |||
| 2005-2008 | UC Santa Barbara Gauchos | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2007 | Bakersfield Brigade | 3 | (0) |
| 2008-2009 | Benidorm CF | ||
| 2010-2011 | San Diego Sockers | 6 | (5) |
| 2011-2014 | Milwaukee Wave | 69 | (52) |
| 2014- | San Diego Sockers | 0 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| United States Beach Soccer | |||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21:44, 4 September 2014 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). | |||
Nicolas Perera (born 5 June 1986) is a Spanish-born, American professional footballer currently with San Diego Sockers of the MASL as well as the United States national beach soccer team.
Early life
Perera was born in Madrid, Spain to Prudencio and Dione Perera. Despite having a Spanish father and an American mother, Perera spent most of his childhood in Belgium and can speak 5 languages: English, Spanish, Italian, Dutch and French.[1]
Playing career
Youth and college
Perera played youth soccer in Belgium with club team K.N.S. Tervuren, as well as his high school team European School of Brussels. He walked on to the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's soccer team in 2005 after receiving a recommendation from his mother.
I asked my mom where would be a good place to go to college, and she said Santa Barbara sounded like a fun place. Junior year of high school I came to visit the campus and I fell in love with Santa Barbara.
Perera played an integral role in UC Santa Barbara’s attack, leading the Gauchos to the 2006 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship and winning the national title. For his performances in the 2006 tournament, he was named the College Cup's Most Outstanding Offensive Player.
Professional
After finishing college, Perera played a few matches with California-based Bakersfield Brigade of the USL Premier Development League where he was reunited with UC Santa Barbara teammates Tino Nuñez, Greg Curry, Jon Curry, and Andrew Proctor. Additionally, Eric Wynalda was also on the squad.[3]
Perera then joined Benidorm CF in Spain,[4] before heading back to America to join San Diego Sockers where he played indoor soccer. Despite appearing in just 6 games, he scored 5 goals for the club.[5]
In the off-season, Perera joined Milwaukee Wave.[6] Perera racked up 69 appearances, scoring 52 goals, before moving back to San Diego Sockers ahead of their 2014/15 season.[7]
International
Perera represented the United States in the 2013 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup where he led the team in goals scored. Despite the United States not advancing past the group stage, his 5 goals were good for a seventh place finish overall in the tournament.
Honours
Club
Individual
- College Cup Most Outstanding Offensive Player: 2006
References
- ↑ Delong, Katie; Pipines, Tom (4 March 2014). "Wave player who has brother with autism working to help others". FOX 6 WITI-Milwaukee. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
- ↑ "Player Interviews Nick Perera". UC Santa Barbara Gauchos. 2008. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
- ↑ "Bakersfield Brigade 2007 Team Roster & Player Stats". USLSoccer.com. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
- ↑ "Milwaukee Wave Media Guide - Nick Perera". Milwaukee Wave. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
- ↑ "2010/11 Complete Statistics". PASL-Pro. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
- ↑ "MILWAUKEE WAVE EXTENDS TARGET FORWARDS PERERA AND HEWERTON". Patch.com. Milwaukee Wave. 30 October 2013. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
- ↑ "Sockers Acquire Rights To Nick Perera". San Diego Sockers. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
External links
- Nick Perera – FIFA competition record
- Milwaukee Wave player profile at the Wayback Machine (archived April 27, 2014)
- MISL player profile
- UC Santa Barbara player profile