# Blas Pérez

Blas Antonio Pérez Ortega (born 13 March 1981) is a Panamanian former professional footballer who plays as a forward for the Dallas Sidekicks in the Major Arena Soccer League.

## Club career

Pérez began his career in his native Panama with Panamá Viejo. 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. The following season, he left for Colombia signing with Envigado, scoring a goal on his debut against Independiente Medellin 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. 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. With Cúcuta, Perez won the Copa Mustang in 2006 against Deportes Tolima. In 2007 Cúcuta and Blas Perez made their debut in Copa Libertadores, in which Blas scored eight goals, including two against Argentina's Boca Juniors. The eight goals were the second-most in the tournament.
On 29 May 2007, Spanish Segunda División team Hércules CF 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, his seventh club in his career and first in Mexico. He played for Pachuca for the 2009 Clausura in a loan deal after Miguel Sabah's transfer to Pachuca did not work out. He scored eight goals in 15 matches with Pachuca.
After his impressive display in the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup, Al Wasl FC of Dubai was able to secure Blas Pérez services to play in the UAE League based on Al Wasl's new coach Alexandre Guimarães 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 edition of the Copa Libertadores and having scored 5 goals in both tournaments, he was released at the end of the season. He was later signed by Club León from the Liga de Ascenso 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 season, he signed with FC Dallas. 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 for Mauro Rosales. 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.
He came out of retirement in 2022, however, to play arena soccer with the Dallas Sidekicks of the Major Arena Soccer League. Perez was nominated for the league's Newcomer of the Year honor. In June 2024, it was announced that Pérez had re-signed for the 2024–25 season.

## International career

Pérez made his debut for Panama in a March 2001 friendly match against El Salvador and, up until his international retirement in 2018, earned a total of 123 caps, scoring 42 goals. He is Panama's fifth all-time record cap holder and second all-time leading goalscorer after Luis Tejada. He represented his country in 35 FIFA World Cup qualification matches and played for Panama at the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup, in which they were eliminated in the quarter-finals by the United States. He ended up as Panama's top scorer, with three goals and one assist. Pérez was also named in the tournament's "Best XI". He also played in the 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2015 editions of the Gold Cup, as well as the Copa América Centenario.
In May 2018, Pérez was named in Panama's preliminary 35-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, eventually being named to the final 23-man selection.

## Assault attempt

On 23 July 2009, two cars chased Pérez's Nissan 350Z 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.

## Career statistics

    Scores and results list Panama's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Pérez goal.
List of international goals scored by Blas Pérez :
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1 | 24 April 2001 | Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama | Haiti | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 2 | 6 September 2006 | Estadio Mateo Flores, Guatemala City, Guatemala | Guatemala | 2–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 3 | 8 June 2007 | Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, United States | Honduras | 2–1 | 3–2 | 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 4 | 10 June 2007 | Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, United States | Cuba | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 5 | 16 June 2007 | Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, United States | United States | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 6 | 31 March 2009 | Estadio Agustín Sánchez, La Chorrera, Panama | Haiti | 2–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
| 7 | 31 March 2009 | Estadio Agustín Sánchez, La Chorrera, Panama | Haiti | 3–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
| 8 | 31 March 2009 | Estadio Agustín Sánchez, La Chorrera, Panama | Haiti | 4–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
| 9 | 7 June 2009 | National Stadium, Kingston, Jamaica | Jamaica | 1–0 | 2–3 | Friendly |
| 10 | 9 July 2009 | Reliant Stadium, Houston, United States | Mexico | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 11 | 12 July 2009 | University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, United States | Nicaragua | 1–0 | 4–0 | 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 12 | 18 July 2009 | Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, United States | United States | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 13 | 3 March 2010 | Estadio José Pachencho Romero, Maracaibo, Venezuela | Venezuela | 2–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 14 | 11 August 2010 | Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama | Venezuela | 2–1 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 15 | 8 October 2010 | Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama | El Salvador | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 16 | 21 January 2011 | Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama | Costa Rica | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2011 Copa Centroamericana |
| 17 | 7 June 2011 | Ford Field, Detroit, United States | Guadeloupe | 1–0 | 3–2 | 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 18 | 6 September 2011 | Estadio Nacional de Fútbol, Managua, Nicaragua | Nicaragua | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 19 | 7 October 2011 | Windsor Park, Roseau, Dominica | Dominica | 3–0 | 5–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 20 | 11 October 2011 | Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama | Nicaragua | 1–0 | 5–1 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 21 | 11 October 2011 | Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama | Nicaragua | 2–0 | 5–1 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 22 | 11 October 2011 | Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama | Nicaragua | 5–0 | 5–1 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 23 | 11 November 2011 | Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama | Costa Rica | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 24 | 15 November 2011 | Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama | Dominica | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 25 | 1 June 2012 | Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama | Jamaica | 1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 26 | 8 June 2012 | Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula, Honduras | Honduras | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 27 | 8 June 2012 | Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula, Honduras | Honduras | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 28 | 11 September 2012 | Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama | Canada | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 29 | 13 January 2013 | Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama | Guatemala | 2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 30 | 25 January 2013 | Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica | Guatemala | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2013 Copa Centroamericana |
| 31 | 26 March 2013 | Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama | Honduras | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 32 | 20 July 2013 | Georgia Dome, Atlanta, United States | Cuba | 4–1 | 6–1 | 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 33 | 20 July 2013 | Georgia Dome, Atlanta, United States | Cuba | 6–1 | 6–1 | 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 34 | 24 July 2013 | Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, United States | Mexico | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 35 | 7 September 2014 | Cotton Bowl, Dallas, United States | Costa Rica | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2014 Copa Centroamericana |
| 36 | 10 September 2014 | BBVA Compass Stadium, Houston, United States | Nicaragua | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2014 Copa Centroamericana |
| 37 | 31 March 2015 | Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama | Costa Rica | 1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 38 | 13 July 2015 | Sporting Park, Kansas City, United States | United States | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 39 | 8 January 2016 | Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama | Cuba | 4–0 | 4–0 | Copa América Centenario qualification |
| 40 | 6 June 2016 | Camping World Stadium, Orlando, United States | Bolivia | 1–0 | 2–1 | Copa América Centenario |
| 41 | 6 June 2016 | Camping World Stadium, Orlando, United States | Bolivia | 2–1 | 2–1 | Copa América Centenario |
| 42 | 13 June 2017 | Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama | Honduras | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |

## Honours

Deportivo Cali
* Categoría Primera A: 2005
Cúcuta Deportivo
* Categoría Primera A: 2006
Individual
* CONCACAF Gold Cup All-Star Team: 2007