PORTLAND, Ore.— The Portland Timbers today acquired goalkeeper Troy Perkins from D.C. United in exchange for goalkeeper Steve Cronin and allocation money. Additionally, D.C. United will retain a portion of Perkins’ salary budget number for the 2011 season. Timbers general manager/technical director Gavin Wilkinson made the announcement.
Perkins, 29, returned to Major League Soccer and D.C. United in 2010 after two seasons in Norway, where he guided Vålerenga IF to the 2008 Norwegian Cup. The 2006 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year played five total seasons with United, leading the club to back-to-back MLS Supporters Shields in 2006 and 2007 and winning the 2004 MLS Cup with the club.
“Today, we’ve acquired one of the best American goalkeepers in MLS,” said Timbers head coach John Spencer. “With his valuable MLS experience and proven leadership, Troy has the ability and character to make a huge impact in Portland.
“I am delighted to have him on board with us, and we feel we’ve taken another step in the right direction with our plans to build a very competitive group that can compete with the best in MLS in 2011.”
A native of Worthington, Ohio, Perkins started his professional career in 2004 with D.C. United, signing as an undrafted rookie, and contributed to the club’s championship run that season. He had a breakout season in 2006, winning MLS Goalkeeper of the Year honors and earning a spot on the 2006 MLS All-Star team. Perkins played a leading role in D.C. United’s back-to-back MLS Supporters Shields in 2006 and 2007, ranking among the league’s leaders in wins, shutouts and goals-against average both seasons.
Perkins has played in 77 career MLS regular-season matches, compiling a 36-19-22 record, 19 shutouts and a 1.22 goals-against average.
“We are putting together a competitive team on the field and the goalkeeper position is an extremely important position,” said Wilkinson. “We are excited to bring Troy on board, but this was a difficult decision to make. Steve has been a phenomenal person and player for this organization the last two years. We wish him all the best and thank him for his contributions both on and off the field.”
Perkins has been a part of the U.S. National Team pool for the last two years. He made his national team debut in 2009 in a 3-2 win over Sweden on Jan. 24 at the Home Depot Center. Perkins led the U.S. National Team to the finals of the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup, recording three clean sheets in tournament play.
Perkins played abroad for two seasons in Norway’s first division with Vålerenga from 2008-09. After breaking into the starting lineup, he guided Vålerenga to a cup championship in 2008 and UEFA Cup qualification. In 2009, Perkins recorded seven shutouts in 33 appearances, including two starts in the UEFA Cup – one of the most prestigious tournaments in Europe.
D.C. United re-acquired Perkins on January 13, 2010, after trading midfielder Fred, allocation money and a MLS SuperDraft pick to the Philadelphia Union for the top spot in the player allocation order. He played in 22 games for United in 2010, logging 1,890 minutes and a 1.68 goals-against average.
Perkins split his collegiate career between the University of South Florida and the University of Evansville. He was a two-time All-Conference USA selection, including second team honors in 2002. At Evansville, he started all 21 matches of the 2003 campaign, finishing with a 1.09 goals-against average.
Cronin, 27, played the last two seasons with the Timbers’ second-division side, appearing in 56 regular-season games and recording a 26-11-19 record. After five seasons in MLS with the San Jose Earthquakes and LA Galaxy, Cronin joined the Timbers in 2009 and was named the 2009 USL First Division Goalkeeper of the Year. He was loaned to D.C. United in 2009 following the USL season and finished out the MLS campaign with the club.
Troy Perkins
Position: Goalkeeper
Height: 6-1
Weight: 190
Born: July 29, 1981, in Springfield, Ohio
Hometown: Worthington, Ohio
Previous Club: D.C. United
College: University of Evansville
Citizenship: United States
