NYFC’s Andres Perea undergoes surgery after gruesome leg injury

Andrés Perea won’t be suiting up for New York City FC anytime soon. 

The club confirmed Monday that the midfielder underwent surgery to address a lower right leg fracture at Montefiore Einstein Medical Center. 

No timetable was given, but head coach Pascal Jansen said following their win over Charlotte that Perea was expected to be out “for a little bit.” 

Getty Images

Perea will begin his rehab immediately. 

“Everyone at the Club wishes Andrés all the best in his recovery,” the club said in a statement. 

Perea was injured in the 71st minute of Friday’s Game 3 match against Charlotte FC, which NYCFC won to advance to the conference semifinals to face the Union. 

The midfielder went for a ball in the air against Charlotte’s Adilson Malanda and when Perea came down, he landed awkwardly on his right leg. 

Perea’s right foot bent back awkwardly and he was in immediate pain on the pitch. 

Warning: Graphic Content

The club’s medical staff came out to check on him, and the game was delayed for roughly four minutes before Perea was carted off. 

“It was a very tense moment because we [lost] one of our own and it looked very bad,” Jansen told reporters after the match.  

Jansen also called the loss of Perea a “big” one for his club. 

New York City FC midfielder Andrés Perea (8) vies for the ball with Charlotte FC defender Adilson Malanda
(29) during the second half of Game 3 in the first round of MLS soccer’s Eastern Conference playoffs
Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. AP

Perea appeared in 24 MLS matches for NYCFC this season and tallied three goals and an assist, while adding another assist during the postseason against Charlotte. 

New York City FC will face Philadelphia on Nov. 23 in the conference semifinals following the international break. 

Perea previously played for the Union but was loaned out to NYCFC for the second half of the 2023 season and later traded to New York City in January 2024. 

This season marks the fourth time in five seasons that NYCFC has reached at least the conference semifinals in the MLS Cup playoffs.