Nicolás Perea

Nicolás Perea (born August 6, 1992) is a Colombian-born American footballer and beach soccer player. He last played as a midfielder for Indy Eleven in the USL Championship in 2019 and represents the United States in international beach soccer, contributing to their 2023 CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship title.

Early life Perea was born in Bucaramanga, Colombia, on August 6, 1992, and moved to the United States at age seven, settling in Hallandale Beach, Florida. He played youth soccer with Weston FC and is bilingual in English and Spanish. He helped Syracuse reach the NCAA College Cup (Final Four) in 2012, their first appearance, and the Sweet 16 in 2012 and 2014.

Professional Perea signed his first professional contract with the NASL’s Jacksonville Armada on February 10, 2015, playing 24 matches across 2015–2016. Perea has not played professionally in the USL Championship since 2019, focusing instead on beach soccer.

Beach soccer Perea transitioned to beach soccer in 2019 after a local exhibition match in Florida led to an invitation to a U.S. national team camp in Fort Lauderdale, scouted by coach Francis Farberoff.

In 2022, Perea won the ANOC World Beach Games Qualifiers in El Salvador and was named U.S. Soccer Beach Male Player of the Year. He earned a silver medal at the Mundialito Gran Canaria. In 2023, he scored 4 goals at the CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship in the Bahamas, contributing to the U.S.’s first CONCACAF title since 2013 with a 5–0 win over Mexico. Perea has over 30 international appearances and 13 goals, with 50 career goals in six CONCACAF Championships, the most by a U.S. player.

Personal life Perea resides in Florida and assists his girlfriend, Taylor Dante. He has experience in social media management, videography, and photography, and has worked with brands like Smorgasburg Miami.