Dani Pereira scored his first goal in MLS: the story of the Venezuelan who came to the United States with political asylum [Video]

The story of Daniel Pereira is like that of millions of Venezuelans who have left their country to seek new opportunities abroad, only that he transcended the soccer field with his talent. He became the first Latin American soccer player to be the first pick in the MLS SuperDraft for Austin FC.

When he was 15 years old, he and his family applied for political asylum in the United States and were able to achieve their goal. While his mother worked in the kitchen of a restaurant, and his father was a gardener in Roanoke, Virginia, he continued with his passion: soccer.

This Saturday 30 April Pereira and his family will not forget him, because his first goal in MLS finally came with the Austin FC jersey in victory 1 -2 vs. Houston Dynamo FC. He capitalized on a beautiful cross from Ethan Finlay on the right to finish unmarked down the left flank.

“We decided to move to the United States for a better life. I did not want to leave Venezuela. I was with my soccer, calm, with my friends. I had everything. But I also knew that the situation there was very serious and that it was going to get worse,” Pereira told the AP News agency in 2021. “My parents did it for me and I thank them every day,” he stressed.

He admitted that it was difficult for him to adapt to the North American country due to the language barrier, but his best language was on the pitch In Caracas he played in the lower categories of the Deportivo La Guaira club.

Arrived in the US in the year 2015. He played four years on the Northside High Soccer team, a high school team, and then had the chance to go to Virginia Tech to play in the prestigious varsity league. His ability to recover balls, deliver cleanly in short and long spaces, generated interest in the Austin FC board who thought of him for the selection of him in the SuperDraft.

Pereira and his family celebrated for everything high his arrival in the MLS due to the efforts they made for him to fulfill his dream. Now he is in the orbit of the coach Néstor Pekerman to take him to the Venezuelan National Team, but he must resolve his legal situation because he has an open case of political asylum in the US

Meanwhile, the soccer player from 21 years old, wants to continue the legacy left by Josef Martínez in MLS with Atlanta United or Cristian Cásseres in the New York Red Bull. It is well known that Venezuelans have made history in the United States, but in Major League Baseball like Luis Aparicio, Omar Vizquel, Johan Santana or Miguel Cabrera.

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