Perera was born on 5 June 1986 in Madrid, Spain,[5] to Spanish father Prudencio and American mother Dione; he spent most of his childhood in Belgium.[6] Perera speaks six languages: English, Spanish, French, Dutch, Italian, and Portuguese.[7]
Perera and the 2006 UCSB Gauchos soccer team honored at the White House.
Perera played youth soccer in Belgium with club team K.N.S. Tervuren and his high school team European School of Brussels. He walked on to the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's soccer team in 2005 after receiving a recommendation from his mother.
I asked my mom where would be a good place to go to college, and she said Santa Barbara sounded like a fun place. Junior year of high school I came to visit the campus and I fell in love with Santa Barbara.
Perera played an integral role in UC Santa Barbara's attack, leading the Gauchos to the 2006 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship and winning the national title. For his performances in the 2006 tournament, he was named the College Cup's Most Outstanding Offensive Player.
Perera then joined Benidorm CF in Spain,[10] before heading back to America to join San Diego Sockers where he played indoor soccer. Despite appearing in just 6 games, he scored 5 goals for the club.[11]
In the off-season, Perera joined Milwaukee Wave.[12] Perera racked up 69 appearances, scoring 52 goals, before moving back to San Diego Sockers ahead of their 2014/15 season.[13] In October 2016, Perera was traded to Ontario Fury.[14] He appeared in 15 games for the Fury scoring 17 goals with 16 assists in his lone season with the club.[15]
Perera was traded in the offseason from Ontario Fury to Syracuse Silver Knights.[16] He appeared 3 times in November 2017 for the Silver Knights and scored 4 goals with two assists.[15] In December 2017, it was announced that Perera was traded to Tacoma Stars.[17][18]
Florida Beach Soccer Team – 2012 NASSC U.S. Open Championship
Perera led the Americans in goals at the 2013 World Cup. Despite the United States not advancing past the group stage, his 5 goals were good for a seventh-place finish overall in the tournament. He scored an additional 2 goals at the 2019 World Cup.
Perera was named team captain in 2014 and is their all-time leader in goals scored and third in appearances as of April 2023.[23][24]
Perera joined the staff of the UC San Diego Tritons men's soccer team as an assistant in July 2016.[26]
In December 2018, Perera became the head coach of Tacoma Stars.[3] He coached the team until 2021 while continuing to play.[4]
Perera was appointed head coach of the Tacoma Stars USL League Two team in midway through the 2024 season. He was brought back as head coach for the 2025 campaign.[2]
In 2024, Nick Perera was named a player/assistant coach for the United States men's national beach soccer team. Originally selected for the 2024 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup squad, he was forced to withdraw due to injury shortly before the tournament began.[36]
Executive career
Alongside his playing career, Perera is an elected member of the U.S. Soccer Athlete Council.[37]
Perera was named the executive director of Washington Youth Soccer in June 2021.[38]
In February 2022, Perera was named the general manager of OL Reign.[39] He resigned in March 2023.[40]
