TUCSON, AZ – Vancouver Whitecaps FC welcomed two new faces Wednesday morning.
Two weeks after officially signing with the club, Costa Rican international midfielder Christian Bolaños met his new teammates this morning for the first time. Bolaños will join a handful of his teammates for an on-field session this afternoon before watching Whitecaps FC take on Sounders FC in a preseason scrimmage – 4 p.m. PT kickoff, watch live on whitecapsfc.com.
Also joining the ’Caps camp today is Panamanian international and former FC Dallas striker Blas Pérez. Whitecaps FC and FC Dallas are currently discussing a deal that would involve Perez and Mauro Rosales. Details are still being finalized.
“Blas is a proven goal-scorer,” head coach Carl Robinson said. “Everywhere he plays, he scores goals, competes, and has a natural hunger to win. We are working on a deal with Dallas, as well as Blas, but felt it was important to have him here in Tucson, training with the guys, as soon as possible.”
Pérez, 34, joined FC Dallas in January 2012, making 78 starts in 97 regular season appearances. In his four years with the Western Conference rivals, he tallied 36 goals, tied for ninth-most in MLS during that span. His four career goals against Whitecaps FC are tied for third-most the club has conceded to one player in MLS play.
In the MLS Cup Playoffs, Pérez has made three starts in six appearances, while scoring one goal, coming in the 2015 Western Conference Final versus eventual champion Portland Timbers. Nicknamed Super Raton, Pérez also started in each of his six appearances in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, scoring five goals for FC Dallas.
Prior to joining MLS, the 6-foot-1, 175-pound striker played professionally in Panama, Uruguay, Colombia, Spain, Mexico, and United Arab Emirates after making his debut in 1998.
Born in Panama City, Pérez holds the third-most senior international caps for Panama with 102 appearances. He is Panama’s second all-time leading scorer with 39 goals in his career.
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