Blas Antonio Pérez Ortega (born 13 March 1981) is a Panamanian
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
who plays as a
forward
Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward.
Forward may also refer to:
People
* Forward (surname)
Sports
* Forward (association football)
* Forward (basketball), including:
** Point forward
** Power forward (basketball)
** Sm ...
for the
Dallas Sidekicks in the
Major Arena Soccer League
The Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) is a North American professional indoor soccer league. The MASL features teams playing coast-to-coast in the United States and Mexico.
MASL is the highest level of arena soccer in North America. MASL players ...
.
Club career
Pérez began his career in his native Panama with
Panamá Viejo
Panamá Viejo (English: "Old Panama"), also known as Panamá la Vieja, is the remaining part of the original Panama City, the former capital of Panama, which was destroyed in 1671 by the Welsh privateer Henry Morgan. It is located in the suburbs ...
. He made his debut with the club in 1998 and went on to score 27 goals in 56 matches. In 2001, he joined
Árabe Unido and continued his goal scoring form. In 2002, he joined top Uruguayan side
Nacional
Nacional, the Portuguese and Spanish word for "national", may refer to:
Airlines
* Nacional Transportes Aéreos, a Brazilian airline defunct in 2002
* Transportes Aéreos Nacional, a Brazilian airline defunct in 1961
Bank
* Banco Nacional, a ...
. The following season, he left for Colombia signing with
Envigado
Envigado () is a town southeast of Medellín, Colombia in the department of Antioquia. It is located in the Metropolitan Area of the Aburrá Valley. It borders El Poblado, Medellín to the north, Sabaneta to the south, El Retiro and Caldas to ...
, scoring a goal on his debut against
Independiente Medellin
Independiente may refer to:
*the Spanish word for wikt:independent, independent
Music
*Independiente (record label), a record label formed in 1997
*Independiente (Dragon Ash album), ''Independiente'' (Dragon Ash album), 2007
*Independiente (Ricard ...
in the process. After one season at the club he joined
Centauros and went on to score 29 goals in 37 matches, catching the attention of one of Colombia's top clubs
Deportivo Cali
Asociación Deportivo Cali, best known as Deportivo Cali, is a Colombian sports club based in Cali, most notable for its football team, which currently competes in the Categoría Primera A.
Deportivo Cali is one of the most successful footba ...
. For the 2005 season he signed with Cali and remained at the club for two years in which he continued with his goal scoring form. In 2006 Perez joined
Cúcuta
Cúcuta (), officially San José de Cúcuta, is a Colombian municipality, capital of the department of Norte de Santander and nucleus of the Metropolitan Area of Cúcuta. The city is located in the homonymous valley, at the foot of the Eastern ...
. With Cúcuta, Perez won the
Copa Mustang
Copa or COPA may refer to:
COPA
COPA may refer to:
* Computer Operator Programming Assistant. trade of ITI
* Child Online Protection Act, a former U.S. law to protect minors from certain material on the internet
* Canadian Owners and Pilots Asso ...
in 2006 against
Deportes Tolima
Club Deportes Tolima S.A., commonly known as Deportes Tolima, or simply as Tolima, is a Colombian professional football club based in Ibagué, Tolima Department that currently plays in the Categoría Primera A.
Founded in 1954, the club has wo ...
. In 2007 Cúcuta and Blas Perez made their debut in
Copa Libertadores
The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as the Copa Libertadores de América ( pt, Copa Libertadores da América), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in S ...
, in which Blas scored eight goals, including two against Argentina's
Boca Juniors
Club Atlético Boca Juniors () is an Argentine sports club headquartered in La Boca, a neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. The club is mostly known for its professional football team which, since its promotion in 1913, has always played in the A ...
. The eight goals were the second-most in the tournament.
On 29 May 2007 Spanish
Segunda División
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commercially known as LaLiga SmartBank for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spanish football league system. Administrated by the Lig ...
team
Hércules CF
Hércules de Alicante Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. () is a Spanish football team in Alicante, in the autonomous community of Valencian Community. Founded on 25 October 1922, it currently plays in Segunda División RFEF – Group 3 and plays its hom ...
signed ''Super Ratón'' on a four-year contract in which they acquired 50% of the players rights. It was valued at US$2.7 million, with Blas Perez earning 60 thousand dollars per month. Perez enjoyed a brief stay in Spain in which he scored four goals in 16 matches.
On 18 January 2008 he signed with
UANL Tigres
Club de Fútbol Tigres de la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, simply known as Tigres UANL or Tigres, is a Mexican professional football club based in San Nicolás de los Garza, a city in the Monterrey metropolitan area, Nuevo León. Found ...
, his seventh club in his career and first in Mexico. He played for
Pachuca
Pachuca (; ote, Nju̱nthe), formally known as Pachuca de Soto, is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of Hidalgo. It is located in the south-central part of the state. Pachuca de Soto is also the name of the municipality of whic ...
for the
2009 Clausura in a loan deal after
Miguel Sabah
Miguel Sabah Rodríguez (born 14 November 1979) is a Mexican former professional footballer who played as a striker.
Throughout his career, he played for Guadalajara, Cruz Azul, Monarcas Morelia, and Club León. Sabah made his debut in the ...
's transfer to
Pachuca
Pachuca (; ote, Nju̱nthe), formally known as Pachuca de Soto, is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of Hidalgo. It is located in the south-central part of the state. Pachuca de Soto is also the name of the municipality of whic ...
did not work out. He scored eight goals in 15 matches with Pachuca.
After his impressive display in the
2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup
The 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the tenth edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup competition, and the twentieth soccer championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF). It was played from July 3 to 26, 2009 in the United States ...
,
Al Wasl FC
Al Wasl Football Club ( ar, نادي الوصل لكرة القدم) is an Emirati professional football club based in Dubai, that competes in the United Arab Emirates Football League. It is a part of the multi-sports club Al Wasl SC. Argen ...
of Dubai was able to secure Blas Pérez services to play in the
UAE League
The UAE Pro League ( ar, دوري المحترفين الإماراتي), known for sponsorship reasons as the ADNOC Pro League, is the top professional football league in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The first team to win the title was Al O ...
based on
Al Wasl's new coach
Alexandre Guimarães
Alexandre Henrique Borges Guimarães (born 7 November 1959) is a Costa Rican football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. He is the current manager of América de Cali.
Born and raised in Brazil, Guimarães played for the Co ...
recommendation. He stayed there only for the first half of the
2009–10 season before moving back to Mexico to play for
San Luis. After having played 17 games in the
Torneo Bicentenario and 2 in the
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
edition of the
Copa Libertadores
The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as the Copa Libertadores de América ( pt, Copa Libertadores da América), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in S ...
and having scored 5 goals in both tournaments, he was released at the end of the season. He was later signed by
Club León
Club León Fútbol Club, also known as León, is a Mexican professional football club based in León, Guanajuato, that competes in the Liga MX, the top flight of Mexican football.
León has won the Primera División de México/Liga MX title ...
from the
Liga de Ascenso
Liga or LIGA may refer to:
People
* Līga (name), a Latvian female given name
* Luciano Ligabue, more commonly known as Ligabue or ''Liga'', Italian rock singer-songwriter
Sports
* Liga ACB, men's professional basketball league in Spain
* Lig ...
in the 2010 edition of the Mexican draft. he rediscovered his goal scoring form with Club León with 19 goals in 28 matches. For the second half of the 2011 season he was again sent on loan this time to
Indios. For the 2012
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...
season, he signed with
FC Dallas
FC Dallas is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). The franchise be ...
. On 2 December 2015, it was announced that FC Dallas would not be renewing Perez's contract.
On 16 February 2016, Perez was traded to
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer team based in Vancouver. They compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The MLS iteration of the club was established on Marc ...
for
Mauro Rosales
Mauro Damián Rosales (born 24 February 1981) is an Argentine former association football, footballer who last played in Alumni de Villa María, Alumni. A Midfielder#Winger, winger/Forward (association football), forward best known for his pace ...
.
At the conclusion of the 2016 season Perez's contract was not renewed. On 31 January 2017, Pérez signed with Panamanian club,
C.D. Árabe Unido.
On 25 November 2018, Pérez retired from playing professional football.
Pérez signed with the
Dallas Sidekicks of the
Major Arena Soccer League
The Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) is a North American professional indoor soccer league. The MASL features teams playing coast-to-coast in the United States and Mexico.
MASL is the highest level of arena soccer in North America. MASL players ...
in July 2022. Pérez scored twice in his arena soccer debut against
Chihuahua Savage
The Chihuahua Savage, also known as Savage CUU, are a Mexican professional indoor soccer team based in Chihuahua, Chihuahua. Founded in 2019, the team made its debut in the Major Arena Soccer League 2 with the 2019–20 season, which was ended ...
on 10 December 2022.
International career
Pérez made his debut for
Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...
in a March 2001
friendly match
An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...
against
El Salvador
El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...
and has, as of 6 June 2016, earned a total of 106 caps, scoring 41 goals. He is Panama's third all-time record cap behind
Gabriel Gómez and
Jaime Penedo
Jaime Manuel Penedo Cano (born 26 September 1981) is a Panamanian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper for various teams such as: Osasuna B, CSD Municipal, LA Galaxy, Deportivo Saprissa and Dinamo București, among others ...
and second all-time leading goalscorer after
Luis Tejada
Luis Carlos "Matador" Tejada Hansell (born 28 March 1982) is a Panamanian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Molinos El Pirata.
Club career
Tejada's debut in professional soccer was with Tauro in the local league, where he man ...
. He represented his country in 22
FIFA World Cup qualification
The FIFA World Cup qualification is a competitive match that a national association football team takes in order to qualify for one of the available berths at the final tournament of the (men's) FIFA World Cup.
Qualifying tournaments are hel ...
matches and played for
Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...
at the
2007 Gold Cup
The 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the ninth edition of the Gold Cup, the soccer championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF), and was won by the United States over Mexico. It was contested in the United States from ...
, in which they were eliminated in the quarterfinals by the
U.S.
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
He ended up as Panama's top scorer, with three goals and one assist. Blas Perez was also named in the
2007 Gold Cup
The 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the ninth edition of the Gold Cup, the soccer championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF), and was won by the United States over Mexico. It was contested in the United States from ...
"Best XI". He also played at the 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015 Gold Cups and Copa América Centenario.
In May 2018 he was named in Panama's preliminary 35 man
squad
In military terminology, a squad is among the smallest of military organizations and is led by a non-commissioned officer. NATO and US doctrine define a squad as an organization "larger than a team, but smaller than a section." while US Army do ...
for the
2018 FIFA World Cup
The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national Association football, football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awa ...
in Russia.
International goals
:''Scores and results list Panama's goal tally first.''
Assault attempt
On 23 July 2009, two cars chased Pérez's
Nissan 350Z
:
The Nissan 350Z (known as Nissan Fairlady Z (Z33) in Japan) is a two-door, two-seater sports car that was manufactured by Nissan Motor Corporation from 2002 until 2009 and marks the fifth generation of Nissan's Z-car line. The 350Z entered prod ...
early at the morning while he was travelling along the
La Chorrera highway. The assaulting cars intercepted him when one of them collided with it forcing it to stop. Pérez managed to escape from the attackers and sustained no injuries but his car was heavily damaged.
Personal life
Pérez holds a
U.S. green card which qualifies him as a domestic player for MLS roster purposes.
Honours and awards
Deportivo Cali
*
Categoría Primera A
The Categoría Primera A (), commonly referred to as Liga BetPlay Dimayor (between 2015 and 2019 ''Liga Águila'') due to sponsorship by online betting company BetPlay, is a Colombian professional league for association football clubs. It is the ...
:
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
Cúcuta Deportivo
*
Categoría Primera A
The Categoría Primera A (), commonly referred to as Liga BetPlay Dimayor (between 2015 and 2019 ''Liga Águila'') due to sponsorship by online betting company BetPlay, is a Colombian professional league for association football clubs. It is the ...
:
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
Individual
* CONCACAF Gold Cup All-Star Team:
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
See also
*
List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
In men's association football, a cap is traditionally awarded in international football to a player making an official match appearance for their national team. In total, over 600 players have played in 100 or more international matches. The re ...
References
External links
*
*
Profile- FC Dallas
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perez, Blas
1981 births
2001 UNCAF Nations Cup players
2005 UNCAF Nations Cup players
2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup players
2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup players
2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup players
2011 Copa Centroamericana players
2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup players
2013 Copa Centroamericana players
2014 Copa Centroamericana players
2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup players
2018 FIFA World Cup players
Al-Wasl F.C. players
Association football forwards
C.D. Árabe Unido players
C.F. Pachuca players
C.S.D. Municipal players
Categoría Primera A players
Categoría Primera B players
Centauros Villavicencio footballers
Club Blooming players
Club León footballers
Club Nacional de Football players
Copa América Centenario players
Cúcuta Deportivo footballers
Deportivo Cali footballers
Envigado F.C. players
Expatriate footballers in Bolivia
Expatriate footballers in Colombia
Expatriate footballers in Mexico
Expatriate footballers in Spain
Expatriate footballers in Uruguay
Expatriate footballers in the United Arab Emirates
Expatriate soccer players in Canada
Expatriate soccer players in the United States
FC Dallas players
FIFA Century Club
Hércules CF players
Indios de Ciudad Juárez footballers
Liga MX players
Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemala players
Liga Panameña de Fútbol players
Living people
Major League Soccer players
Panama international footballers
Panamanian expatriate footballers
Panamanian expatriate sportspeople in Canada
Panamanian expatriate sportspeople in Mexico
Panamanian expatriate sportspeople in the United States
Panamanian expatriate sportspeople in Colombia
Panamanian expatriate sportspeople in Spain
Panamanian expatriate sportspeople in Uruguay
Panamanian expatriate sportspeople in the United Arab Emirates
Panamanian footballers
Panamá Viejo players
San Luis F.C. players
Segunda División players
Sportspeople from Panama City
Tigres UANL footballers
UAE Pro League players
Uruguayan Primera División players
Vancouver Whitecaps FC players
Dallas Sidekicks (2012–present) players
Major Arena Soccer League players