It’s still deep off-season for MLS, and my own favorite team has made a move to bolster their attack: FC Dallas signs Blas Pérez and Hernan Pertúz.
Pérez, who will turn 31 on Feb. 13, scored 19 goals in 23 starts during his last full season with León of the Mexican second division. The 6-1 Panamanian had a strong showing at last summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup. He scored Panama’s first goal of the tournament just 29 minutes into its 3-2 win over Guadeloupe. He found the back of the net three times during the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
As a fan, I sure hope that Pérez is the striker Dallas has needed for some time. And I also hope that the remarkable number of club teams this guy has played for isn’t any indication that he’ll have trouble fitting in here in Texas. He’s 30, so he’s been at this for a while, but this is still quite a list he’s built up.
| Years | Team | Crest |
|---|---|---|
| 1998–2000 | Panamá Viejo (Panama) |  |
| 2001–2002 | Árabe Unido (Panama) |  |
| 2002 | Nacional (Uruguay) |  |
| 2003 | Envigado (Colombia) |  |
| 2004 | Centauros (Colombia) |  |
| 2005–2006 | Deportivo Cali (Colombia) |  |
| 2006–2007 | Cúcuta Deportivo (Colombia) |  |
| 2007 | Hércules (Spain) |  |
| 2008–2012 | Tigres (Mexico) |  |
| 2009 | Pachuca (Mexico, loan) |  |
| 2009 | Al Wasl (Mexico, loan) |  |
| 2010 | San Luis (Mexico, loan) |  |
| 2010–2011 | León (Mexico, loan) |  |
| 2011 | Indios (Mexico, loan) |  |
| 2012– | FC Dallas (USA) |  |
The final of this year’s Copa Libertadores — the premier international club tournament of CONMEBOL — begins tonight. The NY Times’ “Goal” blog has the story:
It has been a long, long time since the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, Uruguay, the site of the first World Cup final in 1930, has hosted a match of such significance (and that would probably be the 1995 Copa América final won by the hosts against Brazil).
But on Wednesday night (9 p.m., Fox Deportes), that storied, old stadium will again be alive as two of South America’s most famous teams — Peñarol of Uruguay and Santos of Brazil — play the first leg of the Copa Libertadores finals in a bid to become the top club team in South America and land a spot in December’s FIFA Club World Cup in Japan.
In this battle of black-and-light-striped crests, our money’s (figuratively) on Peñarol. Viva la garra charrua!
