LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Louisville City FC announced on Thursday the club had transferred defender Manny Perez to Danish club AC Horsens for an undisclosed fee.

Perez is the third LouCity player to complete a European transfer following Jonathan Gomez to Real Sociedad of LaLiga and Josh Wynder to legendary Portuguese club S.L. Benfica.

"I want to thank Manny for the work that he put in during his time at Louisville City," said LouCity Head Coach Danny Cruz. "He has been a joy to work with on and off the field for two years now. We have watched him continue to develop into a top-level right back and believe that he has the tools necessary to continue his success overseas.

“When Manny first made the decision to come to Louisville, we were aligned in what his career goals were. Now, we’re proud to have helped him get back to Europe and will be rooting him on as his career continues abroad.”

Perez spent two seasons with LouCity and made 66 appearances for the club cross the USL Championship’s regular season and playoffs. He recorded one goal and five assists for the club in that span while also posting a passing accuracy rate of 81.1 percent.

“I am very honored to have played for this club,” Perez said. “I have learned so much from my coaches and teammates throughout my two seasons here. This is a place where you come in and grow as a person and as a player — and not only that, you become family. LouCity is a club that is all about winning and getting better every day. It’s super competitive, which has helped me make this move to Europe. I want to also thank the incredible fans in Louisville that always make the atmosphere at Lynn Family Stadium special.”

Analysis

Manny Perez’s move to AC Horsens is another positive move from not only LouCity, which continues to show its ability to strike deals and move players into European competition, but also for the USL Championship as the 24-year-old returns to Europe having re-established his credentials with LouCity over the past two seasons.

Perez’s departure will leave a gap to be filled in LouCity’s lineup. potentially by the incoming Gabriel Perez on the right side should Head Coach Danny Cruz elect to play with a three-man back line again this season. One date to circle for Perez, meanwhile, will be March 9 when his new club takes on former San Antonio FC standout Jose Gallegos’ Sønderjyske as it bids to move into the top half of the 1. Division standings in Denmark.