CARACAS, VENEZUELA – Former Virginia Tech midfielder Daniel Pereira earned his first senior call-up to the Venezuela national team on Friday, as announced by head coach Fernando Batista.
Venezuela is penned to play two friendlies in the United State this summer. On June 15, Venezuela will take on Honduras (Washington D.C.) then faces Guatemala (East Hartford, Conn.) on June 18.
Pereira, a midfielder from Roanoke, Va., was selected first overall in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft by Austin FC. Now in his third year with the club, the 2020 ACC Midfielder of the Year has started all 15 league matches for Austin in the 2023 season. With one assist in the books, Pereira has logged 90-minute shifts in all but one game this season.
"It's an incredible honor to have the chance to represent my home country on the international stage for the first time," Pereira said in a release on AustinFC.com. "This call-up is a dream come true in my career and I'm grateful to all my family, friends, teammates, and coaches who have helped me on my journey."
In 2022, Austin FC reached the MLS Western Conference finals before falling to eventual champions Los Angeles FC. Pereira started 28 of the 33 games that he appeared in during the season, scoring the first two goals of his career in year two. As a rookie in 2021, Pereira started 18 matches for Austin after becoming the club's first draft pick in its inaugural season.
With Pereira's selection in 2021, he became the first No. 1 pick in program history and only the third Virginia Tech student-athlete to be selected first in any sport, joining Bruce Smith and Michael Vick. He scored six goals and tacked on six assists in 26 games with the Hokies from 2019-20. As a freshman, Pereira earned ACC All-Freshman honors, then was named first team All-ACC during his shortened 2020-21 campaign.
