VANCOUVER—With a scoreless draw last week versus the Houston Dynamo, the Vancouver Whitecaps finally earned a point in Texas—the first time they’d managed to do so since joining Major League Soccer in 2011. The question now: Can the Whitecaps get a result in Dallas?
Vancouver fared well in Houston, especially in the first half. Despite some shaky moments toward the end, they managed to secure a clean sheet in a 0-0 draw, and those have been hard to come by this campaign. But Sunday will be another matter entirely. The Dynamo are the worst team in the Western Conference; FC Dallas are the best team in the league.
It seems like an understatement to say that facing Dallas on the road—in the suffocating Texas heat—will be an uphill battle. This feels more like an entirely vertical pursuit, like harnessing yourself to a skyscraper and doing your best to somehow scramble to the top.
The Whitecaps, though, just might have a not-so-secret weapon in their back pocket when they head to Toyota Stadium: Blas Perez, who spent three seasons in Dallas, knows his old team well—and he’s eager for a good showing in his first trip back since joining the Whitecaps.
The 35-year-old Panamanian striker has been an excellent addition to the Whitecaps this season. With his age, his appearances have been limited, but he’s always a difference-maker, irritating opponents and causing tempers to flare as he scurries around the pitch (it seems apt that he takes his nickname, “Super Raton,” after a rodent).
While Perez has been dealing with a hamstring issue of late, he insisted this week that he’s healthy.
“I’m happy to come to Dallas,” he said, calling it “a special game for me.” The veteran also admitted he wasn’t quite sure what kind of reception he’d get from the crowd in Texas. He’s known as a villain across the league, but at home his play made him a fan favourite.
“I’m great with them,” Perez said of the fans in Dallas. “Before, I play for FC Dallas, they—every game—they happy with me, my performance in the pitch. So now, I don’t know. Maybe accept, or not.”
Perez acknowledged that he knows how his old team operates, but laughed as he added, “They know me, too.”
“I want to score. I want to score for this game,” Perez said. “We need the game—we need to win the game. We need points.”
Whitecaps coach Carl Robinson said Perez was in contention, noting that Vancouver has had a rough time in Dallas and “Mighty Mouse” has at times played a role in those woes.
“Lots of horror memories,” Robinson said of his team’s past performances there. “And maybe one or two from the guy I’ve signed at the start of the year as well.”
The coach said he was pleased with his team’s performance in Houston last week, calling it “a good start for us.” If the team is in fact starting a run of good results, now is an ideal time. This is a critical part of the season, with fewer games remaining and the Whitecaps needing to pick up points in a tight Western Conference.
Vancouver goalkeeper David Ousted, who was fantastic as usual versus the Dynamo, said he was happy with the clean sheet, and with the effort shown by his teammates in a difficult environment in Houston.
“It’s gonna take a lot of hard work, a lot of miles from the guys out there running, to get a result,” he said of the game in Dallas.
While Ousted and Co. don’t really need any added motivation to try and get a result in this next game, the Danish ’keeper said the team would do everything in its power to help Perez get a win over his former team.
“I think Blas is looking forward to it,” Ousted said.
The Whitecaps will hope for a good performance from Perez, along with Japanese striker Masato Kudo, who’s looked solid since his return from injury. They’ll also hope for some magic from Erik Hurtado, who nearly scored his first goal of the season in Houston before it was disallowed for a handball.
With the league’s summer transfer window closing next week, the team’s management has spoken openly about their hopes of adding a proven, match-fit MLS striker. The deal for D.C. United’s Fabian Espindola went sour immediately—the club traded the veteran forward to Mexican side Club Necaxa the week after acquiring him, and it was rumoured that Espindola had been disinclined to join Vancouver for a limited stay.
While the Whitecaps might wish they’d have a player like Espindola as they head to Dallas, they’ll at least be facing a home team that just lost one of its stars. Fabian Castillo is off to Turkish side Trabzonspor (the club has yet to announce the move, though there’s video online of Castillo’s arrival in Turkey—he’s greeted by a group of gleeful Trabzonspor fans.
Still, Dallas has no shortage of good players, so Vancouver has its hands full. Even without factoring in Dallas’s fortitude on the pitch, the heat will once again play a role. The temperature in the city is expected to reach a high of 37 degrees on Sunday, and it’s tough for a team like the Whitecaps to prepare for that kind of condition, though they’ll at least have last week’s experience in Houston under their collective belt.
Whatever the team’s chances, Robinson knows that anything can happen in MLS, and now is as good a time as any to finally take a point, or three, in Dallas.
“We’re in a decent run of form at the moment,” the coach said. “We need to start turning draws into wins. They’re the best team at the moment, we know that. They’re unbeaten at home—so maybe something’s gotta give.”
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