Yaikel Pérez

Club

Perez played youth soccer for his local club, Ciudad Habana, and was part of the Cuba national team which qualified for the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Along with several of his teammates he defected to the United States during the final qualifying phase, and eventually signed for USL First Division expansion team Miami FC in 2006. After being released by Miami Perez briefly played for Laredo Heat in the USL Premier Development League before moving to Puerto Rico, where he played for Atlético de San Juan and Sevilla FC Puerto Rico in the new Puerto Rico Soccer League from 2007 to 2009, making 48 appearances and scoring 16 goals for Sevilla, and helping them to the league title in 2008. On March 9, 2010, Crystal Palace Baltimore announced the signing of Perez to a contract for the 2010 season. Perez played 17 games and scored 1 goal for Baltimore before the team ceased operations at the end of the season. He transferred to River Plate Puerto Rico in the USL Professional Division in 2011, but played just three games before the team was removed from USL Pro due to financial difficulties. He moved to Puerto Rico Islanders in the North American Soccer League in June, and made his debut for his new team on June 1 in a 1–1 tie with the NSC Minnesota Stars. In January 2017, Pérez joined MASL side Harrisburg Heat.

(correct as of 15 August 2010)