US national team fans in the Dallas area may find it hard to celebrate this news.
The Panamanian soccer federation on Saturday night announced that FC Dallas forward Blas Pérez will not be traveling to Seattle due to a case of gastroenteritis, forcing Panama to play without arguably their best player for Tuesday night's World Cup qualifier against the USMNT in Seattle (9:30 pm ET, ESPN and UniMas).
The federation also indicated that Perez would remain under medical observation in Panama.
Local reports claim that Pérez suffered from the condition during and after Friday's scoreless World Cup qualifying draw against Mexico at the Estadio Rommel Fernández in Panama City.
The absence of the FC Dallas forward means that Panama will travel with 27 players to Seattle, where they are expected to arrive in the early morning hours on Sunday morning after a pit stop in Cancún, Mexico.
Pérez, who signed with FC Dallas in January 2012, is also the focal point of the FC Dallas attack and he has five goals in 10 MLS matches thus far this season. He finished with nine tallies last year.
