Amid the soul-searching prompted by D.C. United's early-season struggles, few players are evaluating themselves more thoroughly than goalkeeper Troy Perkins.
After beginning his professional career as a developmental player forced to work part-time at a sporting goods store to make ends meet, last season the University of Evansville graduate produced an All-Star campaign that led to MLS Goalkeeper of the Year honors, a rewarding new contract and an invitation to U.S. national team camp.
That impressive leap into the upper echelon of U.S. netminders has elevated the expectations of his teammates, coaches, and most of all Perkins himself. With United's past three matches adding up to an 0-3 record and a 2.67 goals-against-average, he's playing down his defense's mistakes and shouldering responsibility.
"I've just got to be better," he said after D.C.'s 4-2 loss to Kansas City. "I've got to hold my hand up and say, 'you guys, if you let down, I should be here for you. And I wasn't tonight.'"
Many observers have wondered just how deeply United has been psychologically damaged by their heartbreaking CONCACAF Champions' Cup loss to Chivas de Guadalajara some three weeks ago - and no one suffered more of a Mexican nightmare than Perkins, who let the winning goal slip through his fingers that rainy night.
"It is difficult at this time," said defender Facundo Erpen. "I think we're still thinking [about] why we lost the Chivas game. We're still thinking about that game, and we have to play in the league now, because that is the past."
The experience presents a new challenge for a goalkeeper who has already overcome a series of obstacles to reach his present position.
"I told Troy, 'those things are going to happen once out of a thousand times,'" said United goalkeeping coach Mark Simpson. "Troy is pretty strong mentally at putting that behind him. Obviously it was a big goal in a big game - but those things happen. In life, you can't control what happens to you, but you can absolutely control how you react to what happens to you, and I think he's bounced back."
Simpson and Perkins are spending plenty of time in the film room to help speed that recovery.
"Just looking at the Kansas City game, we're looking at bits and pieces," said Simpson. "Look at his attack to the ball on [Michael] Harrington's [goal]: it's a bad angle. What could he do better there? Reading the tendencies of the players: when Eddie Johnson is covered and now [Sasha] Victorine sneaks in, what's going to be the ball? Can he read that ball over to Victorine and get out there just a split-second [quicker]? In goalkeeping, it's not huge differences to make, it's centimeters of differences to make."
Perkins was consistently left exposed by his defenders' slip-ups, and still made several acrobatic saves to keep his side from falling even further behind to the Wizards. But at this point in his career, the bar has clearly been raised.
"The shot-stopping, that was OK for me. It was the one-v-ones. Maybe next week I'll go out and take a thousand of those, and see what happens," he said with a wry grin.
Perkins has steadily grown in his three years under the tutelage of Simpson, who manned United's nets for six years, compiling a 26-18-4 all-time record with a 1.16 GAA in the postseason. Now their focus has shifted to the position's finer points.
"Can you move here a little quicker? Can you move there a little quicker? Can you organize better, and prevent things from happening in front of you? I think those are the things that we take a look at with Troy," Simpson said. "We just take a look at the little things. It's nothing big. You analyze the game and break it down. You try to correct the mistakes and go from there."
Nick Rimando's offseason departure to Real Salt Lake means Perkins is now the unquestioned No. 1 between the posts in D.C. But with that trust comes increased accountability.
"I think I let the guys down," Perkins said in the aftermath of the Wizards loss. "But we've got two weeks now to really dig deep and figure ourselves out and establish ourselves again. Back in the [league's] first year [United] went 0-6 and came back to win the championship. So we can't hang our heads too low - just pick ourselves up a little bit."
Charles Boehm is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
