Indy Eleven Sign U.S. Soccer Development Academy Standouts Joshua Penn and Mario Perez
February 21, 2019 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Indy Eleven News Release
INDIANAPOLIS - Indy Eleven Professional Soccer is pleased to announce the signings of forward Joshua Penn and goalkeeper Mario Perez to USL Academy contracts ahead of the 2019 USL Championship season, pending league and federation approval.
"We are excited to add these two talented young players to our roster," said Martin Rennie, Indy Eleven head coach. "Josh is a fast, dynamic player who can beat people on the dribble and is scoring threat. Mario has trained with our team since last season and has shown significant improvement. They are contributing a lot to our team's environment."
Penn, 18, made appearances for the U-19 U.S. Men's National Team in 2018. In his last appearance, Penn netted the final goal in USMNT U-19's 4-1 win over Jamaica to finish top of the 2018 U.S. Soccer U-20 Men's Invitational standings.
The Naperville, Illinois native totaled 57 goals and 40 assists in 63 matches for Chicago Sockers FC (U.S. Soccer DA) from 2016-2019. He also earned Conference Best XI honors twice during his time with the academy.
The four-star recruit, who ranked No. 12 in Top Drawer Soccer's IMG Academy 150 and No. 1 in the Midwest region, committed to Indiana University Men's Soccer in January and came to Indy Eleven through a recent partnership with Sockers FC.
Perez, 19, played goalkeeper for Indiana Fire Academy, a U.S. Soccer Development Academy club, from 2015-2019. The Logansport, Indiana native recorded 68 appearances between the sticks during his time with Indiana Fire Academy. Perez graduated Logansport High School in 2018 and committed to Purdue Fort Wayne to play for the Mastodons.
Per club policy, terms of player contracts with Indy Eleven will not be released.
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