U.S. prospect Josh Perez, 18, makes his Fiorentina debut
Christian Pulisic isn't the only 18-year-old American making news in Europe.
Josh Perez, a La Habra, California, native, made his debut for Fiorentina at the San Siro Monday, coming on as a 75th-minute substitute for Cristian Tello against Inter Milan, with La Viola trailing 3-2.
Perez, a former U.S. U-17 standout, signed with Fiorentina in February and had been playing for its youth side prior to last Sunday, when he made the bench vs. Empoli in a 4-0 win. He took the next step Monday, entering for 10-man Fiorentina, which had been trailing 3-0. In his first action, he tried to earn a foul on a 4-v-4 opportunity, though no call was given and Inter embarked on a counterattack, with Joao Mario firing over the bar on a clear look at goal.
Inter eventually found its clincher through Mauro Icardi on a rebound of a saved shot into an empty net, making for a bittersweet day for Perez.
Perez, the nephew of former U.S. national team midfielder and youth coach Hugo Perez, was on the USA's 2015 U-17 World Cup team along with Pulisic and Schalke forward Haji Wright.
This article originally appeared on 
