Leo Perez Jr. of San Antonio, Texas, asks: Was Hugo Perez the first and the last Mexican-American to play for the U.S. national team? Is he still in U.S. Soccer as a coach? Mike Woitalla: Leo, Hugo Perez is a native of El Salvador who immigrated to the United States as a boy and became one of the best U.S. national team players ever. To my knowledge, the last Mexican-American to play for the United States was Martin Vazquez (7 caps in 1996-1998). Also, Jorge Salcedo had 3 caps between 1994 and 1998). SalcedoÆs case is interesting because his father, Hugo Salcedo, played for the USA in the 1972 Olympics. Most the Latinos recently on the national team have heritage in other Latin American nations. Notably: Claudio Reyna (Argentina), Carlos Llamosa (Colombia), Chris Armas (Puerto Rico, Cuba), Tab Ramos (Uruguay), Marcelo Balboa (Argentina). Below youÆll find an interview I did with Hugo Perez that appeared in Soccer America Magazine a year ago. It will give you an update of what Perez has been up to since retiring from the national team after the 1994 World Cup. HUGO PEREZ: Then and Now: Probably the most skillful player ever to wear the U.S. jersey, Hugo Perez earned 73 caps and scored 13 goals for the United States. A native of El Salvador who immigrated to Los Angeles at age 11, he made his NASL debut at 19 in 1982, three years after signing a pro contract, and won three indoor titles with the San Diego Sockers. He played in France, Sweden and Saudi Arabia, and finished his career in El Salvador in 1996 after winning two titles with FAS. Soccer America caught up with Perez, now 36, at Radio Unica’s Latin American All-Star Game at Ocean View Park in San Francisco. SOCCER AMERICA: When did you move to San Francisco? HUGO PEREZ: Three years ago. I came to California to pick up my things, because I had retired from playing, and we were going to settle in El Salvador. But my church was opening a school here and asked me to teach. So we stayed and I teach third grade. SA: What kind of school is it? HP: It’s called the Living Hope Christian School. It’s a small school. Most of the parents are from El Salvador. … SA: You became a professional player before even finishing high school. How did you get to a point where you could become a teacher? HP: I grew up very quickly. I married at 18 and that helped me in the long run. It made me be responsible at a young age. And we traveled a lot, lived in different parts of the world, and we learned from that. We also learned from the church. And we home-schooled our children, which prepared me for teaching. SA: How many children do you have? HP: We have three boys and two girls, ages 17, 13, 7, 4 and 1. SA: Do you follow MLS or the national team very much? HP: Not much at all. But enough to know that level of the American player is rising impressively. SA: Have you thought about a coaching career? HP: I am happy with what I’m doing. But I never say never. SA: What do you consider the highlight of your career? HP: Every player must consider the World Cup a high moment, and 1994 was special. But for me, going back and playing in the country I was born in, and where my dad and grandfather played, was very, very special. (If you have a question for a Soccer America Magazine editor, click “Ask Our Editorsö at the top of the home page.”)