This past summer, two local soccer teams faced off in Arizona. On one side was Phoenix Rising of the United Soccer League, featuring players such as former English Premier League champion Shaun Wright Phillips and Didier Drogba, who is often considered one of the best forwards of the past decade.
They faced off against FC Tucson of the Premier Development League, the highest amateur division in the country. On FC Tucson’s side was Colorado Mesa University’s Moshe Perez. Usually competing against players in the RMAC, Perez now lined up across from players who were featured in the FIFA World Cup.
He ended up being on the scoresheet. Drogba and Phillips did not.
“That’s something that I never thought I would say. I scored on Didier Drogba’s team,” Perez said. “It was a really cool experience. Wright-Phillips came up to me after the game we talked for like 10 minutes. It was awesome.”
It was a summer with many incredible moments for Perez, who not only played consistently in the PDL, he was voted one of the best 11 players in the league.
“It was awesome,” CMU head coach Todd Padgett said. “The players Moshe was playing around all summer were the guys who went to Duke, UCLA and Louisville. Obviously, whenever you have an opportunity to have a player from your program represent it in the capacity Moshe did, you can be nothing but thrilled.”
Rather than returning to his home country of Israel, Perez decided to stay in the U.S. and continue developing his game. He reached out to the CMU goalkeeper Briley Guarneri, an Arizona native and FC Tucson alumni, for some help getting into the club. Guarneri agreed to help his friend and teammate out, knowing what a valuable experience the PDL is.
“It brings a separate experience,” Guarneri said. “It brings a separate type of coaching and type of soccer. You get to play with guys who are at those high-level Division I schools. You’re playing against or with guys who played at UCLA or Stanford. You’re playing against a level of competition not seen here in the RMAC. Not that the RMAC is bad, but it’s a way different level.”
Now Perez wasn’t facing off against the best players in a region, he was competing against the best amateur players in the nation. That alone would’ve made it difficult for Perez to get a starting spot, and a certain label didn’t help his case at the beginning.
“I went there and at first I wasn’t a starter because next to my name it said DII, not DI, like most of the other players, and we had a few ex-pros on the team,” Perez said.
Which player attended which university did not affect Perez’s confidence though.
“I don’t play in DII because I don’t think I’m good enough to play in DI,” Perez said. I don’t think the gap between DII and DI is that large. It’s a name, after all, it’s not a label on the level of the league. It’s not like a relegation system.”
Finally, Perez got his chance to start in the U.S. Open Cup, the country’s oldest tournament featuring teams from the amateurs all the way to Major League Soccer. In his first start, Perez grabbed the spotlight, scoring the winning goal in the 88th minute. The following game, Perez was a substitute. Two minutes after he came on the pitch, he scored once again. The Israeli shone in the PDL, having the best goals-per-minute ratio in the country.
“Moshe has been looked at because of his ability to create and assist as a playmaker,” Padgett said. “What I think he showed a whole lot of people and what we already knew about was his ability to finish.”
The success in the U.S Open Cup also allowed Perez to take a trip to Commerce City here in Colorado. There he matched up against the MLS’ Colorado Rapids.
“It was awesome,” Perez said. “It’s probably the best experience I had here in the US because I played against guys who played in the Champions League and other clubs in Europe.”
Week after week, it seemed as Perez was placed in the PDL Team of the Week. At the end of the year, he was chosen in the best Starting 11 of the league. Perez learned more than just how to improve his game on the pitch.
“What I can bring from PDL and bring here to Mesa, or just help out the team and the young guys, is [that] I played with a lot of good players and I matured as a player,” Perez said. “I got more intelligent in my game and the way I played. I’m more professional. A lot of things you learn in the league is how to be professional. You’re representing your city, your club and your fans. It was really like a pro experience.”
Now Perez returns to CMU more mature and ready to achieve his personal goal of 15 plus goals this upcoming season. With the experience he gained in the PDL, the Israeli is ready to set the RMAC alight, just like he did this summer.
