D.C. United announced today goalkeeper Troy Perkins and forward Chris Pontius have been recalled to the U.S. Men's National Team to participate in a ten-day training camp in Carson, Calif., in preparation for an international friendly against El Salvador on February 24 in Tampa, FL.
The United States is coming off of a 3-1 loss to Honduras on January 23, and will train at the Home Depot Center from February 10 - February 20 in preparation for the El Salvador match. Following this fixture the U.S. players will return to their respective clubs as the roster for the next international friendly is finalized. The United States will then travel to Amsterdam to take on the 3rd ranked Netherlands side on March 3 at the Amsterdam Arena.
Troy Perkins, who spent last season with Norwegian Tippeligen club Valerenga, was re-acquired through a trade with MLS expansion side Philadelphia Union. In exchange for the opportunity to acquire Perkins via the allocation process, United sent midfielder Fred, the seventh overall pick in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft, and allocation money to Philadelphia. Before moving to Norway, the 2006 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year spent his entire MLS career with D.C. United. He signed with the club as an undrafted discovery player in March of 2004 and spent four full seasons with the club. All told, he saw time in 77 games (all starts) as a member of the Black-and-Red, serving as the team's number one goalkeeper during each of the 2006 and 2007 seasons. His all-time record in League play is 36-19-22, with a career goals-against average of 1.22. His 36 wins, 274 saves, 19 shutouts and 1.22 goals-against average all place him second in United club history.
Chris Pontius was selected with the seventh overall pick of the 2009 MLS SuperDraft by D.C. United from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He made a memorable start to his United career by scoring on his league debut against the L.A. Galaxy in United's season opener. Pontius played at nearly every offensive position on the field and went on to play in all but two of the team's 30 league games, totaling 23 starts, four goals, and three assists. In all competitions, his numbers were even more impressive, playing 40 out of 44 total matches, with 31 starts, eight goals, and six assists.
Troy Perkins and Chris Pontius were both called up to Bob Bradley's camp earlier in the year on January 4, with Perkins playing the full 90 minutes in goal against Honduras on January 23. While Pontius is a new addition to the National Team landscape, Perkins broke onto the scene in 2007 when he was invited to two training camps. He made his first-ever appearance for the U.S. Men's National Team on January 24, 2009 against Sweden at the Home Depot Center, helping the U.S. to a 3-2 win. The goalkeeper bolstered the U.S. team during the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup, making five appearances, and keeping three clean sheets, during the tournament. Perkins was named ussoccer.com's Man of the Match for his efforts in the 2-0 Gold Cup semifinal victory over Honduras. He ended 2009 with six National Team caps and a 1.26 GAA, the best of any U.S. goalkeeper during the year.
