Wisconsin Soccer Central

Milwaukee Wave forward Nick Perera and the U.S. national team closed out the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup on a high note Monday.

Perera had a hat trick as the Americans beat United Arab Emirates 6-4 and finished third in Group A at the tournament in Papeete, Tahiti. (Video highlights)

The U.S. already had been eliminated from the competition, after narrow losses to Spain (5-4) and Tahiti (5-3 after extra time) in its first two matches.

Winless UAE took the lead just 3 seconds into the match through Hasan Alhammadi, but Perera pulled the U.S. level 90 seconds later. The 27-year-old forward then scored on a direct free kick in the 17th and had a tap-in in the 26th as the Americans opened up a 5-2 lead.

Perera scored in all three matches and led the U.S. with five goals, which tied him for the sixth-best total at the tournament. He had a team-best 11 goals during CONCACAF qualifying in May.

This was the Americans' fourth appearance at the Beach Soccer World Cup, following berths in 2005, '06 and '07. The team is 3-8 in those appearances and hasn't advanced out of group play.

Editor's note: This article has been edited from its original version to reflect information that became available after posting.