The Verde Report: Copa America Could Be Dani Pereira’s Ticket to Europe’s Biggest Leagues

Austin FC midfielder Dani Pereira and the Venezuelan national team will take on Jamaica at Q2 Stadium on June 30 in the Copa America group stage (courtesy of Austin FC)

There was a time when Austin FC selecting Dani Pereira with the first overall pick in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft was considered a reach.

To their credit, MLS’s own mock draft correctly predicted that Austin would select Pereira ... they just figured it would happen with the club’s other first-round pick, No. 11. There were 10 players viewed by experts as better draft prospects than the Venezuelan midfielder from Virginia Tech.

Now, admittedly, grading college soccer players on their pro potential is a dicey proposition any year, never mind during a pandemic when most NCAA conferences didn’t even stage a season. The important thing is Austin FC saw Pereira as the best player in his draft class and a future MLS difference maker.

Three and a half years later, the club has been proven absolutely right. While just about every other player taken in the 2021 SuperDraft has struggled to make any kind of mark in the league, Pereira has been an impactful starter for ATX since, literally, day one.

But the gregarious, dynamic midfielder has long aspired to things bigger than what Major League Soccer can offer.

“Obviously, my goal is to go to Europe,” Pereira said last year.

There’s not a men’s soccer player alive that hasn’t at one point dreamed of suiting up for a club in one of Europe’s top five leagues in countries like England, Spain, and Italy. But Pereira now has a legitimate opportunity to make that dream a reality.

Pereira – who, at 15 years old, left Venezuela for Virginia with his mother as asylum seekers – is set to play in the biggest matches of his life later this month when he dons the “Vinotinto” (red wine) colors of his birth nation at the 2024 Copa America tournament.

Venezuela’s first two group-stage matches, against Ecuador on June 22 and against Mexico on June 26, will take place in California. The third, against Jamaica, is booked for June 30 at Q2 Stadium in Austin, where Pereira is sure to enjoy plenty of support from his hometown Verde fans.

The 23-year-old is still a neophyte in his national team ranks. He’s only appeared in four friendly matches to date, though that’s partly due to the fact that, prior to obtaining his U.S. visa late last year, Pereira was unable to travel out of the country.

But Pereira still projects to be an important player in manager Fernando Batista’s squad. In March, Batista brought Pereira on as a substitute in a friendly against Italy, then gave the ATXFC midfielder a start days later against Guatemala, in which Pereira played the full 90 minutes.

If Pereira feels he’s ready to take his talents to Europe, he’ll get the chance to show it. Copa America is the oldest and one of the most prestigious international tournaments in the sport. Eyes from all over the globe will be locked in, anxious to see what fresh young talent the Americas have to offer. A strong tournament from Pereira will likely result in a flood of calls to ATX sporting director Rodolfo Borrell’s phone.

Make no mistake, it would sting Austin FC in the short term to lose its rising-star midfielder. But recuperating a multimillion-dollar transfer fee, plus establishing itself as an active exporter of young talent in the marketplace, would benefit the club in the long run.

And regardless of Austin FC’s own interests, Pereira has certainly earned the right to chase his dream, wherever in the world it lies.