Position: Midfielder
Age: 24
Key Stat: 99th percentile Non-Pen xG/90 for midfielders
When Andrés Perea landed in New York City FC on loan back in 2023, he was thrust straight into the heart of a struggling NYCFC side, desperately chasing a playoff line that they hadn’t missed as a club since their inaugural season.
Despite how poor the Pigeons were that year, Perea provided a tangible spark in the club's sprint to the finish. He appeared in 11 matches down the stretch for his new side, getting the start in eight of them, and recording a 5-3-3 record in that span — a far better pace than they’d been clocking prior to his arrival.
While it ultimately wasn’t enough to punch a ticket to the playoffs it was an impressive cameo for Perea, who earned a permanent transfer to NYCFC that winter.
But, despite that impressive finish in 2023, Perea was the odd man out in NYCFC’s midfield in 2024, when he was behind the mainstay pairing of Keaton Parks and James Sands. Though he was first off the bench in former head coach Nick Cushing’s midfield, he only started 12 matches in his first full season with the club.
But, with the departure of Sands to St. Pauli this offseason, the once impenetrable pivot now has a glaring vacancy. This combined with the arrival of new head coach Pascal Jansen seems like a perfect storm of opportunity for a player that’s banging on the door for more minutes.
Andrew Leigh
