MONTREAL – Troy Perkins has an idea of what could spur him on this Sunday when the Impact travel to New England to take on the Revolution (7:30 pm ET, watch LIVE online).
Upon acquiring Donovan Ricketts from the Montreal Impact in return for Perkins, Portland Timbers interim head coach and general manager Gavin Wilkinson said of the goalkeeper swap that it was “an upgrade” from the Timbers' point of view.
When questioned on his former head coach’s comments, Perkins did what has become a habit of his on the field: He simply kept a cool head.
“That’s his opinion, he can say whatever he wants,” Perkins told reporters on Thursday. “He’s said some things in the past about guys who had left the club, and that’s him. It’s a little bit of motivation for me, obviously, and I’m not going to come and fight back in the media. I’ll show it when I step on the field.”
WATCH: Perkins discusses first couple of days in Montreal
For his first training session as an Impact player, Perkins got right into the thick of things. He took part in an 11-vs.-11 scrimmage, hoping for a nod in Montreal's starting XI and looking sharp like he had already beaten the three-hour jet lag.
Despite the initial shock of getting traded and having to move to the East Coast and a new country, Perkins fit right in on the Montreal training grounds.
“[I was] totally surprised, [and] it hit me hard,” Perkins admitted. “As a city and an area to live in, Portland was ideal. But obviously, professionally, career-wise, this is a much better place, a top-notch place to be.”
Perkins said his first contact with his new teammates in the locker room was encouraging. The feeling inside, he explained, is one of confidence and of honesty towards one another. Developing chemistry and making his mark among this first-year team should not be an enormous challenge, he feels, as this is already a “really good team [and] very organized.”
“The first impression I got in the locker room was, when you walk in, it seems that guys have been here for a long time,” Perkins said. “They sit there and listen to music, talk to each other, and it’s a fantastic vibe. And you don’t get a sense at all that it’s a new team."
Perkins was also quick to note that the Impact already have a solid foundation and things are looking up in the near future.
“They don’t look at themselves as an expansion team, and they shouldn’t, " he added. "This is a fantastic place with a lot of heritage.”
