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
A Sands-shaped hole in midfield
So far, David Lee & Co have made no moves to replace Sands following his loan away from the club. This suggests, at least for now, that Jansen will have to fill that role internally.
While Perea was the most frequent stand-in last season when one of Parks or Sands wasn’t available, his pursuit of this newly-open starting slot won’t go uncontested due to the emergence of Justin Haak. The Homegrown standout started seven of NYCFC’s final eight matches last season and was celebrated for his good form during that stretch.
It’s worth noting, however, that six of those seven appearances came at center-back for Haak, despite his preferred position as a midfielder. That one start he did land in the midfield came when Sands was unavailable, perhaps suggesting that Haak was seen as the primary Sands replacement in the important final games of last season, rather than Perea.
From a player profile perspective, this makes sense.
Sands was a defensive stalwart, cleaning up messes left and right for NYCFC. He rarely ventured forward even when his side did have the ball, offering deep-lying possession and ball retention as his main forms of attacking contribution.
It’s thankless work, and he was among the league’s best. When looking to replace him, and when deciding between Haak and Perea for such an honor, Jansen’s choice will be driven not just by form or overall talent, but by each player’s ability to fill that Sands-shaped hole.
Like Sands, Haak is less likely to get forward, often opting to stay home at the base of midfield to provide cover both in and out of possession. They both rank highly in interceptions, blocks, and clearances and are both built like houses.
While less refined than his USMNT-capped predecessor, Haak profiles similarly enough to Sands to comfortably serve as a Day One replacement.
Oliver Strand
Perea’s profile
Perea, on the other hand, loves to get forward. Despite lining up at the base of midfield, he ranks in the 88th percentile among midfielders for both progressive passes received and touches in the attacking penalty area.
He crashes the box with real intent, often flying forward unmarked and using his impressive combo of athleticism and instinct to get on the end of crosses. We saw this twice from Tayvon Gray deliveries last season, including his emphatic header against New York Red Bulls in NYCFC’s dominant Hudson River Derby win back in September.
To lean into the data further, Perea ranks in the 99th percentile for non-penalty expected goals per 90 minutes, meaning he is amongst MLS’s best goal-getters from the midfield in the minutes he does manage to see for NYCFC.
While his attacking metrics are incredible, his defensive capabilities shouldn’t be overlooked either. He actually betters Haak’s defensive metrics when it comes to tackling and winning aerial duels, while providing solid interception statistics as well.
Should Perea fill the vacancy?
His attacking prowess and willingness to get forward will be seen as real positives for Jansen, but they’re hardly Sands-esque attributes to possess.
While paired with Parks, who loves to roam forward into the attacking half, Sands couldn’t afford to leave his post even if he wanted to. Without someone staying home and providing that defensive structure, his side would have been ripped to ribbons on the counter.
Perea could theoretically be that disciplined holder, sure. His defensive metrics and general athleticism suggest that he could certainly do a job there if he’s chosen as the heir to the Sands CDM throne.
Doing so, however, could risk taking away the best parts of Perea’s game. His ability to get forward and add goals from midfield is what separates him from everyone else Jansen has at his disposal.
At his best, Perea is an all-action, two-way No 8 with the ability to add goals in possession while contributing defensively out of possession. He can’t do all of those things if he’s forced to sit at the base of midfield as a No 6.
Competing with Keaton
Where he could offer such contributions, however, is in Keaton Parks’s role as that midfield roamer.
Parks has long enjoyed the freedom provided to him by Sands’ defensive discipline. While James sat back, Keaton frolicked forward into more attacking spaces, looking to combine with the attacking midfielder in Santiago Rodríguez or Maxi Moralez, and spring forwards free into channels with balls in behind. That’s how Keaton adds to the attack.
But what if Perea could fill such a role in other ways?
Instead of having the spare midfielder dictate the tempo and spread the field with passing range, Jansen could employ the more direct Perea into that same role to add goals and assists himself, something Keaton hasn’t offered much of in his six seasons with the club.
Through his impressive 192 appearances for NYCFC, Parks has accrued 16 goals and seven assists, meaning he provides a goal involvement a little more than 6% of the time he suits up for the Boys in Blue. Perea, on the other hand, offers a 14% return for that same per-appearance metric, and has done so from a limited substitute role more often than not.
Of course, it’s not all about goals and assists when evaluating a central midfielder. Keaton has a grace and flair in possession that data could never quite describe.
For a player like Perea who can offer both attacking and defensive capabilities, and with the introduction of a new head coach who may prioritize midfield roles differently, competition for Keaton’s minutes is at least worth a conversation.
I must admit, I’d love to see us start Perea every match. The more I think it through, and as much as I like Birk Risa and understand the value of his left foot, the pairing of Haak and Martins worked out really well late last season. And starting Justin at center back would allow us to get Parks, Perea and Haak on the pitch at the same time — as starters.However it works, Andres can flat out rampage out there. He’s the very definition of a marauding eight, looking to do damage all over the pitch. Leaving him on the bench is borderline criminal.
Well said! Agreed really hope we can see him out there more