Louisville City FC and AC Horsens have agreed to a transfer sending Manny Perez to the Danish first division side for a fee, the clubs announced Thursday.
Perez, a 24-year-old outside back, played two seasons in purple. This makes him the third LouCity player to complete a European move following Jonathan Gomez (Spain’s Real Sociedad) and Josh Wynder (Portugal’s S.L. Benfica).
Terms of Perez’s transfer were not disclosed.
“I want to thank Manny for the work that he put in during his time at Louisville City,” said coach Danny Cruz. “He has been a joy to work with on and off the field for two years now. We have watched him continue to develop into a top-level right back and believe that he has the tools necessary to continue his success overseas. When Manny first made the decision to come to Louisville, we were aligned in what his career goals were. Now, we’re proud to have helped him get back to Europe and will be rooting him on as his career continues abroad.”
“I am very honored to have played for this club,” Perez said. “I have learned so much from my coaches and teammates throughout my two seasons here. This is a place where you come in and grow as a person and as a player — and not only that, you become family. LouCity is a club that is all about winning and getting better every day. It’s super competitive, which has helped me make this move to Europe. I want to also thank the incredible fans in Louisville that always make the atmosphere at Lynn Family Stadium special.”
Perez started 24 LouCity games apiece in both his LouCity seasons, also scoring City’s opening goal in 2022’s rallying Eastern Conference Semifinal victory over Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC.
Prior to his time in Louisville, Perez starred at North Carolina State, earned a contract with Scottish giant Celtic and gained Major League Soccer experience while on loan to Austin FC.
