SOCKERS’ ENIGMA : Hugo Perez--Talented Midfielder--Poses an Ambivalent Puzzle

SAN DIEGO —  When the Sockers acquired midfielder Hugo Perez from Tampa Bay in 1983, they were either getting a prize or a problem.

Perez could be a dynamic and charismatic player with phenomenal talent or . . . an individualistic and selfish player with phenomenal talent.

Was he confident or arrogant? Was he immature? Or was he just young and misunderstood?

“He had a reputation of being a troublemaker and being kind of uncooperative and ornery when we got him,” said Bob Bell, Socker managing general partner. “But we felt he was a good kid with all the potential in the world.”

After playing on three consecutive indoor championship teams with San Diego, Perez, 23, has settled in place with a new, two-year contract . . . but he is still every bit as complicated and unpredictable.

He has been in fights with Coach Ron Newman and teammates--most recently one with defender Kevin Crow during a practice earlier this month. He went through a contract holdout and was suspended by the team for questioning the validity of his contract when the Sockers switched from the NASL to the MISL at the start of the 1984-85 season. He has been booed and cheered by San Diego fans.

When he scores, Perez climbs the sideboards and triumphantly waves his fist. He can be a dominant force on offense, yet he has been criticized by teammates for dribbling the ball too much. At times, he appears to play as if he’s in a daze.

“He’s everything I thought he would be,” Bell said. “He’s a magnificent player. Sky’s the limit with the kid. He gets better every year. . . . Fans enjoy watching him play. For pure entertainment value, Hugo is a pleasure to watch. . . .

“Hugo has also matured. There were times when he viewed himself as a prima donna earlier in his career. He’s become more of a team player lately. I think the team has accepted him more. The team respects him and looks to him more. Before it was easy for him to get lost in the shuffle.”

Perez, one of the least vocal players on a team filled with spokesmen, has become more outgoing.

“People, sometimes they never know the real truth about what happens,” Perez said. “I never really care what people think as long as I know I’m clean and honest. I always believe in myself and in what the right thing is. If you don’t, nobody else does.”

On the field, Perez plays the way he has played since he was a youngster in El Salvador. He has never abandoned his wide-open style.

“If people think I dribble too much,” Perez said, “it might be. But that’s my game. I’m not going to change for anybody. I really don’t care. I get paid to play, to score goals. It doesn’t matter how you do it. As long as you do it.”

Perez can be such an electrifying performer that Newman doesn’t want to harness him. Yet, Perez’s inconsistency can also drive a coach crazy.

“He’s a lad that doesn’t have a great deal of stamina,” Newman said. “But he has occasional games of absolute brilliance. When he goes by two guys and puts in a brilliant shot, you pat him on the back. When he dribbles it and loses it, we scold him. If anyone can bring something out of nothing, Hugo can. It’s almost naughty to deny him that chance.”

Perez had his best season, in terms of scoring, in 1985-86, when he had 41 goals and 25 assists in 41 games. With 14 goals and 10 assists in 20 games this year, he is a bit off that pace.

However, Perez does not feel that scoring statistics are a complete reflection of a player.

After a couple of recent games in which Perez scored key goals, he told reporters: “The only reason you’re here is because I scored. You don’t visit when I don’t score.”

This runs counter to those who might think Perez just wants to score when he puts on a one-man offensive show. Indeed, Perez enjoys a back-heel pass for an assist as much as a blazing 30-foot goal.

“Sometimes I don’t understand,” Perez said. “We win or lose a game, everyone on the field works hard, and when the game is over, the press doesn’t talk to players who don’t get points. I think the press should ask questions not just to the main players. It’s good to get a point of view of other players, not just the main guys.”

Statistically, Perez is one of the main guys, but he spends most of his time off the field with players who do more running than scoring. These are his friends and he respects what they do on the field.

“Not everybody has the ability to score goals, but they have something to contribute to the team,” Perez said. “Some people score. Others destroy people. It’s a matter of being fair to all of them.

“The problem in this league is the owners. The system of getting points is bad. When contracts come up, you have to have a certain number of points to get a good contract. That’s especially true of forwards. The owners shouldn’t go by statistics. They should go by what a player does for the team.”

From the time he started playing professional soccer, Perez has always been one to go against the system.

Bell remembers being impressed by Perez when the Sockers faced Tampa Bay in an outdoor game in San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium in 1983.

“All of a sudden this kid was dominating the game,” Bell said. “He made a couple of our defenders look like fools. I said, ‘Who is that kid?’ ”

Later that summer, Perez was acquired from Tampa Bay for cash and a first-round pick in the ’83 North American Soccer League draft. The Sockers and Perez were both pleased with the transaction.

In a story in The Times, Bell said: “The kid blows my mind. His vision of the field is unbelievable.”

Why was such a talented young player let go? Perez, 17 when he signed with Tampa Bay, was frustrated because he was sitting on bench when he thought he should be starting.

“I wasn’t happy there,” Perez said. “I told them to trade me or release me.”

When Perez first came to the Sockers, he was still primarily an outdoor player. It was his first love, and what he did best.

“He was a confused lad with the outdoor-indoor situation,” Newman said. “Now I think he’s satisfied the indoor game has a place to go. He’s had visions of playing for the national team and getting picked up by Barcelona (one of Spain’s top professional teams). But it’s not that easy.”

The indoor-outdoor situation and Perez’s visions of playing for national teams led to a fight with Newman in the summer of 1984. Newman felt Perez, a member of the U.S. National team, was obligated to play for the Sockers while practicing with the national team. Perez was recovering from a pulled hamstring injury and wanted to save himself for the Olympics and the upcoming Socker season.

“I questioned his loyalty to the team,” Newman said. “He wanted his cake and wanted to eat it at the same time. I thought there was a conflict of loyalties there. When he was so busy looking after himself, and he didn’t have time for us, I was irritated.”

So was Perez.

“I had a problem with Ron,” Perez said. “I thought I was right. He thought he was right. It got so personal. Ego against ego. . . . We got into an argument. We got into a fight. Eric Geyer separated us. To tell you the truth, that’s not really me. I was preparing to leave. I talked to Bob (Bell). Everything got settled. I decided I’m going to try and play soccer and show people I’m not that kind of person.”

Hugo Perez will likely still befuddle his coach and his teammates and his fans on occasion, but there can be no debating his own seven-word self-evaluation.

“What I do best is play soccer,” he said.