ST. LOUIS — It's no secret that CityPark is loud. However, it is distinctly louder when Miguel Perez is announced over the speakers.
And it's not hard to see why. From the fields of Holy Spirit Athletic Association in Maryland Heights, all the way to MLS, it was always apparent this hometown kid was special.
“He was all over the place. He was up and down the field. He was just a natural at it," Miguel's dad, Luis, said. "That was probably the first moment we’re like… ‘Wow’. He actually filled in as a kindergartener on his brother’s fourth-grade team and held his own. So he’s always been playing with kids older and bigger than him.”
Miguel also knew early on that soccer would be his future.
“We went to Ohio and I scored the championship goal. We got this big trophy. It was bigger than me," Miguel said about his earliest soccer memory.
And the feisty play you see from the midfielder in MLS? Well, that's always been there, too. And it was honed in backyard games against his brothers.
“Even when he was a little guy he was always all business when he was on the field. We always joked with his first coaches ... does he ever smile? And we said, ‘He does when he’s at home with his brothers’. But when he’s on that field he has that mindset that he doesn’t like to lose," Luis said.
Miguel always knew he wanted to play at the highest levels of soccer, but his rapid rise has been a whirlwind for the whole family.
“It was surreal. He called us and said they wanted to talk to us. And initially, we thought he had done something wrong down there or got in trouble. And he said, ‘No, no I think it’s good. They haven’t told me yet but they want to meet with you next week’. And we were just shocked at how quickly it was happening. Not that we ever questioned his talent or hard work, we just didn’t realize it would happen that quick," Luis said.
“He looks up to a lot of his teammates. Like Burki, Klauss and Parker. He really admires those guys. So I thank them for showing him the next step… We’re truly grateful for that," Miguel's mom, Jackie, said.
After all, Miguel is still just a teenager. A teenager who just graduated from high school, and spent the school year with a crazy schedule and a noted increase in popularity around the halls of Pattonville.
"They ask me 'how did you do this, or how did you do that'... Some of them ask for signatures. It's crazy," Perez said of his classmates.
Perez isn't just a good story for CITY SC. He's making an impact.
He's started five games as a midfielder, got his first goal in the US Open Cup and then, two days after graduation, got himself an MLS goal for a present against Vancouver. The CityPark crowd predictably went wild.
“From a kid who came into the preseason with no expectations from the staff or himself… and won us over in every single aspect. It was hard not to have him around every day. It shows he’s a competitor, it shows he’s willing it shows he has the quality and it shows he’s just a teammate that everybody respects around here and he respects everybody else," CITY SC head coach Bradley Carnell said.
And every time Miguel's name is called, St. Louis remembers. Because he's one of their own.
“Sometimes it just doesn’t seem real when you see him out there. Especially when they call his name and everyone is going crazy," Luis said.
“I got real emotional the first time when they called his name out. It’s crazy to me to even see him walking up there," Jackie said.
The Miguel Perez story may still be in the first chapter, but it's a story that could have limitless potential for the player and the club.
“It’s a symbol for us as a club to show what we believe in in and around the club, in producing homegrowns and nurturing talent. This is what we stand for," Carnell said.
“I think it creates a pathway for kids in St. Louis and they can see if Miguel can do it I can do it," Luis said.
“I think the best part is when the littler kids come up to us with this big huge smile on their face and they’re just like, ‘Oh my God it’s Miggy!’," Jackie said.
“My dream is to play in Europe in the big-time leagues over there. But right now I’m just focusing on what I’m doing now and trying to get better," Miguel said.