Perez Hopes to Be Ready to Rejoin U.S. Soccer Team

Hugo Perez, who suffered a broken bone above his right ankle in a soccer match Saturday, is optimistic that he will be able to play for the United States in the World Cup finals in June. Perez, who has been injury-prone in the past, is regarded as one of the most talented players on the U.S. team.

He was injured while playing for Red Star of Paris, a French second division team, in a match at Gueugnon, France.

“I’ll be in a cast for three to four weeks,” Perez said from Paris, “and then I want to do my rehabilitation in the United States.

“If the (U.S. Soccer Federation) agrees to to take me back, I’ll be ready for the World Cup.”

Perez estimated that he would be ready to play by May, when the United States has some preliminary games leading up to the World Cup competition.

John Polis, a spokesman for the U.S. Soccer Federation, said it was too early to comment on Perez’s status.

The El Salvador-born Perez, a naturalized U.S. citizen, appeared in only two of 10 qualifying games dating to 1988 because of injuries, according to Polis.

Perez suffered from stress fractures in both shins and had a groin injury. However, he scored the winning goal in a 1-0 qualifying-round victory over Honduras on Sept. 17.

Perez, 26, said he would feel more comfortable with his rehabilitation program in the United States, which, he said, has better facilities. He is also concerned that doctors in Paris might want to keep him in a cast longer because of ligament damage that he says can be repaired without a cast.

“A doctor told me that I was fortunate it was a straight break and not shattered in two pieces,” Perez said. “It’s just a crack.

“I just want to help the (U.S.) team. The main thing is not to be embarrassed in the World Cup.”

The United States has qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 40 years.