Troy Perkins

Troy Perkins (born July 29, 1981) is a retired American soccer player. During his career, he played for clubs in the United States, Canada, and Norway. The 2006 Major League Soccer Goalkeeper of the Year award winner earned seven caps with the United States national team.

For the Australian rugby league player, see Troy Perkins (rugby league).

Troy Perkins
Personal information
Full name Troy Perkins
Date of birth (1981-07-29) July 29, 1981
Place of birth Springfield, Ohio, United States
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2000–2002 South Florida Bulls 58 (0)
2003 Evansville Purple Aces 19 (0)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2002 Cape Cod Crusaders 22 (0)
2004–2007 D.C. United 77 (0)
2004 → Northern Virginia Royals (loan) 2 (0)
2008–2009 Vålerenga 53 (0)
2010 D.C. United 22 (0)
2011–2012 Portland Timbers 51 (0)
2012–2014 Montreal Impact 63 (0)
2015 Seattle Sounders FC 4 (0)
2015 → Seattle Sounders FC 2 (loan) 1 (0)
Total 295 (0)
National team
2009–2010 United States 7 (0)
Teams managed
2016– Sounders Academy (goalkeeping coach)
2016– Seattle Sounders FC 2 (goalkeeping coach)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Career

College and amateur

Perkins is a graduate of Thomas Worthington High School, in Worthington, OH, and played college soccer at the University of South Florida and the University of Evansville. He was named third-team All-Conference USA in 2001, and second-team All-CUSA in 2002. He transferred to Evansville for his senior season. At Evansville, he allowed only twenty-one goals in nineteen matches, compiling a 1.09 goals-against-average. Perkins also played in the PDL for the Cape Cod Crusaders in 2002.

Professional

Upon graduating in 2003, Perkins went undrafted. However, he was signed to a developmental contract by D.C. United. Not expected to contribute, Perkins was given an opportunity after both Nick Rimando and Doug Warren lost their starting positions. Perkins proved up to the task, and went on to start sixteen games for the team, posting a 1.62 goals against average. Although Perkins was performing well, the team suffered during his tenure, and he was replaced near the end of the season with Nick Rimando, who would also start for United throughout the playoffs.

In early 2005 he trained with Bolton Wanderers F.C., an English Premier League club and in early 2006 he trained with Everton in Liverpool.

During the 2006 season, Perkins was the starting goalkeeper for United, playing thirty of thirty-two games. He was also named 2006 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year, Best XI, and voted to the 2006 All Star Team. Perkins finished the 2007 MLS season with a 1.10 goals against average, eight shutouts, and sixteen wins, the most in the league.

On December 20, 2007 Perkins signed a five-year contract with Vålerenga,[1][2] making him the first American to sign for the Norwegian club.

On January 13, 2010, returned to D.C. United in a complicated pre-draft trade deal in which United traded midfielder Fred, its first-round 2010 MLS SuperDraft pick, its #6 spot in the MLS allocation order, and allocation money to Philadelphia Union in exchange for the Union's #1 spot in the allocation order. D.C. then used the #1 allocation ranking to re-acquire Perkins.[3] Attempts were made to sign him by Feyenoord and several French clubs, but nothing materialised and he returned to D.C. United.[4]

On December 17, 2010, Perkins was traded to Portland Timbers for goalkeeper Steve Cronin and allocation money.[5] Perkins went into camp as the Timbers' first choice goalkeeper, but he missed the first six Timbers games after a knee injury Perkins suffered in training. Despite the injury, Perkins notched the Timbers' first-ever league shutout with their 1–0 victory over Real Salt Lake on April 30, 2011.

Perkins signed a new contract with Portland on November 28, 2011.[6]

Perkins began the 2012 season with the Timbers, however, on August 7, 2012, Perkins was traded to Montreal Impact for veteran Jamaican goaltender Donovan Ricketts.[7] Perkins stayed with Montreal through the 2014 season.

On January 13, 2015, Perkins signed with Seattle Sounders FC.[8]

On January 11, 2016, Perkins announced his retirement and joined the Seattle Sounders FC Academy as a staff member.[9]

International

Perkins has also played for the United States National Team, receiving his first cap against Sweden on January 21, 2009.[10]

Personal life

While being a backup goalkeeper for D.C. United, Perkins also had a second job working at a sporting goods store in Fair Lakes, VA called Galyans (which is currently known as Dick's Sporting Goods). Beginning in 2006, Perkins worked a second job as a mortgage loan processor,[11] leading United fans to put up a banner that said, "Troy Saves – and Loans."

Perkins has revealed that his return to MLS in 2010 was because his wife was unable to settle in Norway.

Perkins considers that his training as a mortgage loan processor is important and has stated, "Goalies can usually play until they're around 40, so you have to think about a job after retirement," He has an "austere pregame routine, which entails shutting off all electronics and not talking to anyone for 24 hours. 'I'm a miserable person to be around,' he says, laughing. 'My wife hates it.'"[12]

After retiring from professional soccer and leaving the Sounders organization, Perkins was sworn in as a police officer in Kennewick, Washington in January 2017.[13]

Honors

D.C. United

Vålerenga
  • Norwegian Cup Champion(1): 2008

Montreal Impact

Individual

References
  1. "Norwegian Team Acquires United's Perkins". The Washington Post. December 22, 2007. Retrieved December 24, 2007.
  2. "Troy Perkins klar for Vålerenga" (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on February 7, 2012. Retrieved December 24, 2007.
  3. "Union swings a big trade". Philly.com. January 13, 2010.
  4. Goff, Steven (March 17, 2010). "Goalkeeper Troy Perkins finds himself right at home with D.C. United". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
  5. http://www.portlandmls2011.com/news/2010/12/timbers-acquire-troy-perkins-dc-united Archived December 21, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  6. Timbers re-sign goalkeeper Troy Perkins, defender David Horst | Portland Timbers Archived November 30, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  7. "L'Impact de Montréal fait l'acquisition du gardien Troy Perkins". Montreal Impact.
  8. "Sounders FC Acquires Goalkeeper Troy Perkins". Seattle Sounders FC.
  9. "Troy Perkins announces retirement, joins Sounders FC academy staff". Seattle Soundesr FC. January 11, 2016. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
  10. "Sacha Kljestan Hat Trick Provides U.S. Men With 3–2 Victory Against Sweden to Open 2009". Archived from the original on January 14, 2016. Retrieved July 9, 2009.
  11. Steinberg, Dan (July 15, 2006). "A Goalie You Can Bank On". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 9, 2006.
  12. "Kick Started". Outside Online May 2010 Issue. Archived from the original on June 1, 2010. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
  13. Stevenson, Bill (January 23, 2017). "Tri-Cities ready to hire 14 more police officers". Tri-City Herald. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
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