Whether it was intercepting a bending free kick or racing off his line to beat Landon Donovan to a perfectly threaded pass, D.C. United goalkeeper Troy Perkins got a full dose of David Beckham during the English midfielder’s brief 21-minute Major League Soccer debut last week.
Beckham could see even more minutes tonight, but Los Angeles still enters SuperLiga semifinals — its second game in a week against D.C. United — in atrocious form, without a win since his arrival last month.
“Not for a second [are we the favorite],” said Perkins. “They’ll have a great crowd, and it’s a big field.”
Defense has led D.C. to two straight shutouts in league play following a 1-0 loss to Houston in the final match of SuperLiga group play.
“It’s a team concept of how we defend,” said United head coach Tom Soehn. “Everybody wants to point at Troy, but it’s the team.”
The Galaxy looked dangerous late in the game at RFK Stadium, but Perkins controlled the action in his penalty box, and his confidence is on the rebound, having sagged as United struggled defensively.
Perkins also maintains that the no-call when he barreled into Donovan was the correct decision.
“Even looking at the replay,” said Perkins, “I don’t think I touched him, and the ball only hit my hands when I was still in the box.”
D.C. United has nearly a full roster at its disposal. Neither Jaime Moreno (back) nor Christian Gomez (thigh) have played 90 minutes recently, but both could start.
United defender Marc Burch is suspended due to yellow card accumulation, which also leaves the Galaxy without forward Alan Gordon, midfielder Kelly Gray and defender Ante Jazic.
SuperLiga semifinals: D.C. United at L.A. Galaxy
When » Tonight, 10
Where » Home Depot Center, Carson, Calif.
TV » TeleFutura
Radio » 1160 AM, SRN
