Every player on their way to Minnesota United has a different journey. Some (like Brent Kallman or Ismaila Jome) grow up and leave, only to come back again to play for their home state side. Others (such as Ibson or Sammy Ndjock) have Champions League or World Cup pedigrees to uphold while donning the Black and Blue.
However, only one player in the clubs history can boast that Bill Belichick is one of his former coaches. Goalkeeper Aaron Perez was signed by Minnesota United this year on February 19. Born and raised in California, Perez spent the past few years with Orange County Blues in USL. He played keeper as a kid, sticking with the sport through high school and landing with a USL side by the age of 26. As a whole, his story seems fairly standard for an American keeper.
However, Perez had a pretty sweet hobby in his back pocket. After high school, he faced a tough decision about his next step. “I was fortunate to have been offered scholarships to UCLA and Duke as a punter. It forced me into a tough spot – stick with soccer and pay for school or go full-time with football and get an education paid off. For me, it was an easy decision.”
Perez didn’t disappoint once he broke with UCLA. After redshirting his freshman year – the incumbent, Chris Kluwe, ended up becoming a regular with the Minnesota Vikings for six seasons – Perez took over the starting role, setting UCLA records for most punts attempted as well as average distance (42.4 yards). These numbers caught the eye of a few NFL teams, and eventually, he was offered a pre-season deal with the dynastic New England Patriots.
“For kickers and punters, the NFL is a whole different challenge. Realistically, everyone is competing for 32 jobs. NFL Europe had just folded when I graduated, and the Canadian Football League looks for guys who do all three. I didn’t kick in college, so I needed to stick as a punter. I had a great time in New England, but I was beat out by an 11-year veteran. In the end, Bill Belichick was the one to sit down and cut me. It was cool that he took the time to make it personal and wish me well.”
After a stint with the Miami Dolphins, Aaron went back to California and worked his way back into soccer. “I missed the game, so I just wanted to play again. I wound up playing on an Over-40 men’s league team in Santa Monica. It wasn’t a tightly run ship by any means – we would all head to the pub after the match, that sort of thing.”
“I was lucky, though. I was playing for the [NPSL] Santa Clarita Storm when a connection in the area called me and said the Blues needed an emergency keeper. I asked how soon they needed me, and it was for a game the next day. I drove out and signed a contract the next morning, and that night I was the backup keeper for a game against LA Galaxy II. It was a crazy ride – going from being out of the game professionally to warming up at the StubHub Center to face Gyasi Zardes.”
From there, he made it with the OC Blues, starting 12 games in 2013 including a match in the U.S. Open Cup against the late Chivas USA. After a few years, he was given an opportunity to try and land in the second tier.
“My try-out with Minnesota United was a huge moment. I had been close to retiring, honestly. I was 28 and a backup on a third-division side, so I had to come to terms with where I was going in this game. I flew over to Ireland and had a trial with Drogheda United and thought I would stay there. Eventually, they were relegated and that was the end of that option. I ended up having an opportunity here and I was able to beat out a couple of really strong keepers for a spot on the team.
“I really love it here – I want to do this as long as I can. Too many people give up on what they want to do too early. You only have so long to do what you love. I want to enjoy the ride. You can make money the rest of your life, but you won’t have many times to be with great guys like these. I can’t tell you enough how much I love playing for this team.”
The guys are great, but are any of them reminiscent of his notorious former coach? “In this locker room, there’s nobody like Belichick. (Assistant coach) Ian (Fuller) once in awhile seems like it, so he’s the closest. The only difference is that Ian will actually tell people when they do a good job. Bill would never do that.”
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