BLAS FROM THE PAST
Whitecaps’ Blas Perez returns to Dallas to face the team he spent his first three MLS seasons with in a Western Conference showdown
Blas Perez is the quintessential soccer villain. He’s booed and jeered and loathed in every stadium he plays in — except his own. At least that’s been the story up to this point.
On Sunday, the Whitecaps’ pesky and passionate forward returns to Frisco, Texas, where he spent four memorable seasons for FC Dallas. The welcome, he hopes, will be a warm one. You’d expect nothing less at Toyota Stadium.
“First, I’m happy to come (back) to Dallas,” Perez said this week. “It’s a special game for me. I think (the Dallas fans) will be happy, no? I’m great with them. When I played for FC Dallas, every game they’re happy with my performance on the pitch. So now, I don’t know. Maybe they accept me or not.”
Perez spent three productive seasons in the Dallas suburb. He scored 31 goals and added 13 assists from 2012 to 2014, not to mention all the games he affected by drawing fouls, getting in opponents’ heads and strategically sucking seconds off the referee’s watch.
He’s not that guy anymore. He’s 35. He’s a role player. Caps coach Carl Robinson went after Perez this off-season as much for his impact on the practice field and in the locker-room as in games.
But that’s not to say he can’t still offer some memorable moments, some crucial minutes. Some goals. His bicycle-kick winner against Chicago in May was the best strike by a Whitecap this season, along with Cristian Techera’s rocket from 30 yards.
And who would bet against some seemingly predestined Perez moment on Sunday against the league’s top team?
“I want to score,” said Perez. “I want to score for this game. We need the win. We need points. We have a good team to win this game.”
Confident words considering the Caps’ all-time record in Frisco (0-7-0) and considering Dallas’s record at home this season (8-0-3). Also it’s expected to be a mild 36 C in Frisco on Sunday. OK, that’s high, but it also ignores the humidex.
The Caps (8-8-6) are in the midst of a tough stretch of road games, coming off a scoreless tie in sweltering Houston and with a game in the heat and altitude of Colorado ahead. They also kick off their CONCACAF Champions League campaign in Trinidad and Tobago Tuesday against Central FC, although Robinson has said he’ll take a totally different squad to that game.
“Dallas is very, very hot now, so we need to have good preparation: Hydrate, good food, rest,” said Perez.
He has been carrying a bit of a hamstring pull since returning from the Copa America Centenario with Panama, but says he’s good to go. “I’m healthy,” he said. “I’m ready.”
Dallas holds a special place in Perez’s heart, not just because of the good times on the field there, but also because of how the community embraced him and the Panamanian community especially.
When he arrived there in 2012, it was his first stop in North America after a good career in Panama, Uruguay, Colombia, Spain and Mexico. It’s the place that helped provide comfort when his father died later that year.
“I have a lot of friends there,” said Perez. “And my (former) teammates, they send me messages. I think for the fans, it’s special. For the Panamanian people who come to the stadium, they come to see me.”
Among the four goals he scored against the Caps over the years was an unforgettable one in Dallas, basically from the corner flag. It swerved and danced in the air and eluded Caps goalkeeper David Ousted, who could only wonder how Perez just did that.
If the Caps did finally earn a point in Dallas, how fitting would it be if Perez played a role?
One expects he’ll get his chance off the bench. Masato Kudo has played well up front since returning from a broken jaw and there’s no reason for Robinson to shift his formation.
“He’s a warrior, man,” Jordan Harvey, the Caps’ left back and the victim of Perez’s first MLS suspension, said of Perez. “And I’m glad he’s on our side this time going in. I’m sure he’ll be giving the team talk.”