PITTSBURGH (February 17, 2021) – Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC has signed midfielder Louis Perez to a one-year contract with a club option for 2022, pending USL and USSF approval, adding another talented young player to boost the side in the middle of the field.
Perez, 23, is a graduate of the University of Central Florida, where the first-year pro had a decorated career as an outstanding playmaker for the Golden Knights.
“We are excited to welcome Louis Perez on board for the 2021 USL season,” Riverhounds head coach Bob Lilley said. “He is a gifted passer who makes good decisions on the ball. His ability to find his teammates and generate goal-scoring chances will be an asset in the final third, and he is quite capable on restarts, as well.”
In 2019, his last full season for UCF, Perez was the team’s second-leading scorer with four goals and 11 assists, one-off a school single-season record. The 11 assists were fourth in the NCAA and led to a second-team All-American Athletic Conference selection and a listing in TopDrawerSoccer.com’s top 100 college players, where he currently ranks 66th. As a sophomore, Perez was named the AAC Midfielder of the Year and a third-team All-American by the United Soccer Coaches, all while leading the Golden Knights to the AAC regular-season title.
In three postseasons with UCF, Perez’s team reached the AAC final all three years and was selected for the NCAA tournament in 2018 and 2019, reaching the third round (Round of 16) in 2019, losing in overtime to Southern Methodist, 2-1. Originally from Villennes-sur-Seine, France, Perez played his youth soccer with some of his home country’s top clubs. He competed for the Paris Saint-Germain U-17 side before finishing his youth career, playing three seasons with ESTAC Troyes, for which he scored five goals and four assists in the French U-19 national league.
With Perez added to the mix, the Hounds now have 15 players under contract for the 2021 USL Championship season, which is tentatively slated for a late-April or early-May beginning.
Players currently under contract:
Forwards – Russell Cicerone, Albert Dikwa, Alex Dixon, Josh Gatt
Midfielders – Danny Griffin, Kenardo Forbes, Louis Perez, Anthony Velarde
Defenders – Ezra Armstrong, Alex DeJohn, Jordan Dover, Preston Kilwien, Dani Rovira
Goalkeepers – Chris Morrish, Danny Vitiello
