New York City FC know they have something special in midfielder Andres Perea, a young player who has made himself an essential part of head coach Pascal Jansen’s 2025 plans. The 24 year-old duel national has sought a permanent spot in a packed City midfield but has finally found the versatility to be a reliable part of any game this season.
“His best qualities are his movements off the ball,” said Jansen during training. “He has good timing of his runs behind the defense. He can arrive in the box as well, and get those goals starting from the second line, if you will, and staying attached to the attackers.”
Perea has had start-and-stop moments with City due to injuries that have haunted him since joining the club in 2023. After a stint on loan, he made the permanent move from Philadelphia in 2024. Over the course of that time with previous head coach Nick Cushing, Perea made 28 regular season MLS appearances, scoring three goals over that time.
Along with Keaton Parks and Johnny Shore, Perea is considered an essential part to the team’s success. As the young group continues their growth, the Tampa Bay native has becoming more of a veteran voice for the club as they push the type of playoff success they had in 2021 and 2022.
“We’re still in the process of getting to know each other,” said Perea about his relationship with the new head coach. “Starting a season with a new coach is good because it creates new competition and allows us to explore different skills. As I’ve returned to the team, we’ve focused on being strong individually, especially in transition.”
City have had a difficult start to 2025 under Jansen. While the club is still keeping up with the playoff pack, they have only two wins in their last six games. A win over tough competition on Sunday afternoon, a meeting with FC Cincinnati, would move them past rivals New York Red Bulls and into a confident place heading into the summer months.
“We want to bring joy to our fans and keep climbing the table,” said Perea. “There are still a lot of games left, but picking up points now is really important. Our mentality is to go for all three points. We know FC Cincinnati is a strong opponent and are on a good run. But we’re home and have to make it count.”
NYC return to Citi Field for Sunday’s clash with top of the table Cincinnati. Perea and company will look to keep the momentum they built in Toronto last week and add to it with their strong home performances.
photo from NYCFC