In a shocking trade on the eve of the 2010 MLS Draft, DC United has re-acquired Troy Perkins. Perkins played goalkeeper for United from 2004-2007 and boasts an all-time club record 1.22 career goals against average. He started all but 1 match during our Supporters' Shield winning seasons of 2006 and 2007 before departing to the Norwegian side Valarenga.
Thanks to MLS's inane allocation rules, because Troy Perkins is a returning national team player, and because DC United received a transfer fee when Perkins previously departed, his MLS rights would have belonged to the Philadelphia Union. In order to acquire Perkins today, DC United paid a steep price in order to swap allocation slots with PU. They had to give up attacking midfielder Fred, their first round draft pick tomorrow (#7 overall), and allocation money.
This could also mean a world of trouble for Josh Wicks and Milos Kocic, who may be asked to compete with each other for the #2 goalkeeper role. 19-year old Bill Hamid is all but assured of remaining our #3.
Lots of different ways you can look at this trade. For tonight though, let's focus on the positive. DC United finished just one game out of the playoffs each of the past two seasons. With an elite goalkeeper, there's no doubt that we would have made the playoffs. Perkins is the kind of game changing keeper who will win a match on his own.
The loss of Fred is not insignificant. And with a highly rated draft class, it will be a shame to have to wait until the fourth round tomorrow. But those are worries for another day. Because tonight I'll be going to sleep happy knowing that the most critical position on the team will be in capable hands for the next several years.