FC Dallas-Whitecaps FC Preview
Blas Perez says he's not a bad guy, regardless of what happens on the field or because he now plays for a team he spent the past four years trying to take down.
The fiery forward insists changing teams is just part of being a professional.
Set to return for the host Vancouver Whitecaps after missing one game with hamstring tightness, Perez will face his former club Saturday night for the first time since the February trade that sent Mauro Rosales to FC Dallas.
"It's going to be a special match for me," Perez told the team's official website. "They're my old club and I have a lot of good friends there. But I came to Vancouver with my mind set on the present, leaving that rivalry in the past."
Perez returned to training this week after sitting out last Saturday's 1-0 loss at Real Salt Lake. There might not be a lot that would keep him out of this weekend's match against the club that brought him to the MLS from Mexico in 2012.
Perez, who has become known for his aggressive style, totaled 37 goals over the past four years with Dallas (5-1-2), which also reached the playoffs in the past two. However, the team announced in December that it would not renew his contract.
Two months later, Perez was on his way to join one of his biggest adversaries.
"He's a guy we'll need to worry about because he scored a lot of goals for us and we need to just minimize him and not let him get in our head," Dallas defender Kellyn Acosta told the team's official website. "We need to take the game to him and maybe kick him a little bit. He's the opposition now, after all."
After failing to score in his first five matches, Perez will try to help Vancouver (2-4-1) avoid getting blanked in four straight for the second time in club history.
Pedro Morales had four goals while the team split its first four matches, but now the captain is expected to miss a third straight game with a groin injury.
"We've just got to keep going," coach Carl Robinson said. "We can't worry about it. If we play like we did (last) Saturday, we'll be fine."
Cristian Techera's goal gave the Whitecaps a 1-0 home victory over Dallas on Aug. 22, but they did not score in a home draw Oct. 7 or a 2-0 road loss a week later.
Rosales' first goal in a Dallas uniform was the difference in a 2-1 home victory over Sporting Kansas City on Sunday. The club has come together since a 5-0 loss at Houston on March 12, going 4-0-2 while outscoring opponents 13-5.
Michael Barrios has scored in each of the past two matches, though Tesho Akindele had his string of three straight snapped against Kansas City.
MLS-leading Dallas, which can match its best nine-game point total with a win, appears to be getting more help with league assist co-leader Mauro Diaz expected to return after missing the past four matches because of a hamstring injury.
Defensive captain Matt Hedges, though, will be sidelined with a knee injury.