Football
ESPN staff 7y

American Joshua Perez makes Serie A debut with Fiorentina

American teenager Joshua Perez made his Serie A debut with Fiorentina on Monday.

The 18-year-old forward from California came on in the second half of Fiorentina's 4-2 loss to Inter Milan at the San Siro on Monday.

Gazzetta dello Sport gave Perez a respectable 6 out of 10 rating in its match grades.

"With his characteristics he can be a useful player. He can dribble past defenders and he's pretty strong physically," Fiorentina coach Paulo Sousa said.

Perez, who was on the United States' squad alongside Christian Pulisic at the 2015 Under-17 World Cup, is the nephew of former U.S. midfielder Hugo Perez.

He became the second American-born player to appear for Fiorentina in modern times after Giuseppe Rossi, an Italy international who is on loan with Spanish side Celta Vigo.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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