Troy Perkins Shipped to Portland from D.C. United; Bill Hamid Destined for No. 1 Job

Filed under: D.C. United, Portland Timbers

For D.C. United and 20-year-old goalkeeper Bill Hamid, it looks like the future is now.

United shipped veteran keeper Troy Perkins (right) to the Portland Timbers on Friday in exchange for goalkeeper Steve Cronin and allocation money, paving the way for Hamid to take the No. 1 job on a full-time basis.

The move marks the end of Perkins' inconsistent return to the nation's capital, where he played from 2004 to 2007 before coming back in a blockbuster trade before the 2010 season. Perkins, 29, started 22 league contests for the Black and Red last year but never regained the form that won him 2006 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year honors.

The weight of hefty expectations may have led to Perkins' D.C. downfall. United paid Philadelphia a handsome price to secure his rights, sending midfielder Fred, its seventh overall SuperDraft pick and allocation money to the Union.

Cronin returns to D.C., where he played on loan from Portland late in the 2009 season, starting United's final two games as the club made an unsuccessful last-gasp push for the playoffs. The 27-year-old spent the past two campaigns with the Timbers in the second division after previously playing in MLS with the Los Angeles Galaxy and San Jose Earthquakes.

 

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