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Yesterday we saw the departure of Troy Perkins to the Montreal Impact. Truth is, he was a great player who both really loved the team and the city that we all endear so much. It's for this reason that he became such a huge fan favorite here in Portland, even if he wasn't the best keeper in recent months. Portland is often recited as being a "blue collar, hard working" town. I don't know if that's true necessarily (it's changed so much lately) but Perkins certainly lived up to that moniker.
Having joined the team prior to the Timbers inaugural season, Perkins went on to record 12 shut outs and help the Timbers achieve 14 wins in their short MLS lifespan. He was also able to win multiple "Save of the Week" awards by pulling off some seriously outlandish feats of goalkeeping.
One of my favorite memories of Perkins will be the Chicago Fire game in 2011 when the Timbers recorded their first ever road win. In what would have otherwise been a 1-1 draw, Perkins came up huge with a beautiful clutch save using just his foot.
Anyway, good luck in Montreal Perkins! We wish you all the best from Stumptown Footy and Portland!