{{Short description|American soccer player (born 2002)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2025}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Maddy Perez | image = | image_size = | alt = | caption = | full_name = Madison Rose Perez<ref>{{cite web |title=College of Liberal Arts - Class of 2025 Commencement |url=https://www.csulb.edu/sites/default/files/2025/documents/5-Commencement2025%20CLA-ATI%20FINAL%20-%20NC.pdf |publisher=California State University, Long Beach |access-date=16 May 2026 |page=17}}</ref> | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|2002|06|06}} | birth_place = | height = 5 ft 4 in | position = Defender | currentclub = Lexington SC | clubnumber = 5 | youthyears1 = 2016-2020 | youthclubs1 = West Covina Bulldogs | collegeyears1 = 2020–2023 | college1 = Long Beach State | collegecaps1 = 58 | collegegoals1 = 4 | years1 = 2024– | clubs1 = Lexington SC | caps1 = 31 | goals1 = 1 | nationalyears1 = 2016 | nationalteam1 = United States U-16 | nationalcaps1 = | nationalgoals1 = | nationalyears2 = 2017 | nationalteam2 = United States U-17 | nationalcaps2 = | nationalgoals2 = | nationalyears3 = 2018 | nationalteam3 = United States U-18 | nationalcaps3 = | nationalgoals3 = | nationalyears4 = 2019 | nationalteam4 = United States U-20 | nationalcaps4 = | nationalgoals4 = | medaltemplates = | club-update = May 16, 2026 | nationalteam-update = }}
'''Madison Rose Perez''' (born June 6, 2002) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Lexington SC in the USL Super League. She played college soccer for Long Beach State.
==Early life== Perez attended West Covina High School, where as a freshman she already helped lead her team to a league championship and earned first-team all-league honors.<ref name="LBS1">{{cite web |title=11 Maddy Perez |url=https://longbeachstate.com/sports/womens-soccer/roster/maddy-perez/6365 |website=LongBeachState.com |publisher=California State University, Long Beach |access-date=29 October 2025}}</ref>
==College career== Perez attended California State University, Long Beach (Long Beach State), where she played NCAA Division I soccer for the Long Beach State Beach (formerly the 49ers).<ref name="LBS1"/> In 2021, following the cancellation of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Perez started 17 of 18 matches, playing every minute in 15 of them and logging 1,651 minutes. She ranked fourth on the team in points and was named Big West Freshman of the Year, earning selections to both the All-Big West First Team and Big West All-Freshman Team.<ref name="LBS1" />
The following season, in 2022, Perez started all 21 matches, appearing in over 99% of the team’s total minutes with 1,804. She repeated as a First Team All-Big West honoree and was named to the United Soccer Coaches (USC) All-West Region Third Team.<ref name="LBS1"/>
The 2023 season saw Perez again start every match (20 total) and lead the team with 1,805 minutes played. She received First Team All-Big West honors for a third consecutive season and was again selected to the United Soccer Coaches All-West Region Third Team.<ref name="LBS1"/> Following the 2023 season, Perez announced via social media that she would forego her final year of NCAA eligibility to pursue a professional career.<ref name="LBC1">{{cite web |author1=Camayak_5640838009 |author2=alyssadelacruz |title=Maddy Perez forgoes final year of eligibility, pursues professional career |url=https://lbcurrent.com/sports/womens-sports/soccer/2024/03/10/maddy-perez-forgoes-final-year-of-eligibility-pursues-professional-career/ |website=LBCurrent.com |publisher=Long Beach Current |access-date=29 October 2025}}</ref>
==Club career== Perez attended Lexington SC's open combine alongside former Long Beach State teammate Elysia Laramie. Following the combine, both players were offered professional contracts. After researching the club and league, Perez elected to forgo her remaining year of NCAA eligibility to sign professionally. On July 1, 2024, Lexington SC officially announced the signing of Perez to their inaugural USL Super League roster.<ref name="LEX1">{{cite web |title=Maddy Perez |url=https://www.lexsporting.com/roster/madison-perez/ |website=LexSporting.com |publisher=Lexington Sporting Club |access-date=29 October 2025}}</ref><ref name="LHL1">{{cite web |last1=Drummond |first1=Cameron |title=What to know before Lexington Sporting Club’s pro women’s soccer team plays its first game |url=https://www.kentucky.com/sports/soccer/article291133130.html |website=Kentucky.com |publisher=Lexington Herald Leader |access-date=29 October 2025}}</ref><ref name="TT">{{cite web |last1=Doering |first1=Joshua |title=My Soccer Story: Maddy Perez |url=https://touchlinetalk.substack.com/p/my-soccer-story-maddy-perez |website=TouchlineTalk.Substack.com |publisher=Touchline Talk |access-date=26 February 2026 |date=29 January 2025}}</ref>
In the club’s first professional women's match on August 25, 2024, at Carolina Ascent FC, Perez started and delivered the assist from a corner kick which became the team’s first-ever USL Super League goal. The goal was headed in by teammate Sydney Shepherd.<ref name="LEX1"/> For her performances, Perez was named to the USL Super League Team of the Month for September and October 2024, respectively.<ref name="TotM1">{{Cite web |date=October 3, 2024 |title=USL Super League Team of the Month - September |url=https://www.gainbridgesuperleague.com/news/2024/10/03/usl-super-league-team-of-the-month-september/ |access-date=October 29, 2025 |website=USL Super League |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="TotM2">{{Cite web |date=November 7, 2024 |title=USL Super League Team of the Month - October |url=https://www.gainbridgesuperleague.com/news/2024/11/06/usl-super-league-team-of-the-month-october/ |access-date=October 29, 2025 |website=USL Super League |language=en-US}}</ref> In the 2024–25 season, she emerged as a set-piece specialist, recording five assists from dead-ball situations and logging over 2,000 minutes across 24 starts.<ref name="LEX1"/> On May 31, 2025, Perez scored her first professional goal — a bending free kick that curled over the defensive wall and into the back of the net.
== International career == At the youth national level, Perez earned call-ups to the United States youth national teams at U-16, U-17, U-18 and U-20 levels — most recently appearing for the U-20s in a friendly against Japan in 2019.<ref name="LEX1" />
==Personal life== Perez majored in Communication Studies while at Long Beach State. She has an older brother, AJ, who played soccer at Cal Poly.
==Honors and awards==
'''Lexington SC''' *USL Super League: 2025–26<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.lexsporting.com/news/lexington-sporting-club-win-gainbridge-super-league-championship-title/|title=Lexington Sporting Club Win Gainbridge Super League Championship Title|date=2026-05-30|publisher=USL Super League|access-date=2026-05-30}}</ref> *USL Super League Players' Shield: 2025–26<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.gainbridgesuperleague.com/news/2026/05/16/lexington-sc-claims-the-2025-26-gainbridge-super-league-players-shield/|title=Lexington SC claims the 2025/26 Gainbridge Super League Players' Shield|date=2026-05-16|publisher=USL Super League|access-date=2026-05-17}}</ref>
'''Individual''' * USL Super League Team of the Month: September 2024, October 2024 * Big West Freshman of the Year: 2021<ref name="LBS1"/> * First-team All-Big West: 2021, 2022, 2023
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{Sports links}} * [https://longbeachstate.com/sports/womens-soccer/roster/maddy-perez/6365 Long Beach State bio] * [https://www.lexsporting.com/roster/madison-perez/ Lexington SC bio]
{{Lexington SC (women) squad}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perez, Maddy}} Category:2002 births Category:Living people Category:American women's soccer players Category:Women's association football defenders Category:Long Beach State Beach women's soccer players Category:Lexington SC (women) players Category:USL Super League players Category:People from West Covina, California Category:Soccer players from California Category:United States women's youth international soccer players Category:21st-century American sportswomen