Tim Parker

Timothy Ryan Parker (born February 23, 1993) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a center-back for Major League Soccer club New York Red Bulls.

Early career Parker played his high school soccer at Hicksville High School, serving as team captain for his final two seasons. During his senior season, Parker scored 25 goals and had eight assists, earning him numerous accolades, including being named the 2010–11 Gatorade New York Boys Soccer Player of the Year.

He played four seasons of college soccer at St. John's University. He made a total of 79 appearances for the Red Storm and tallied four goals and four assists. He made the 2011 Big East All-Freshman team, 2012 All-Big East 2nd team, and the 2013 and 2014 All-Big East 1st teams. Parker also made the 2012 and 2013 NSCAA All-Region 1st team and the 2014 NSCAA All-Region 3rd team.

While at St. John's, he also played in the Premier Development League for the Long Island Rough Riders and appeared for the Brooklyn Italians in the National Premier Soccer League in 2013.

Professional career Vancouver Whitecaps FC On January 15, 2015, Parker was selected 13th overall in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft by Vancouver Whitecaps FC. On March 30, he made his professional debut for Vancouver's USL affiliate club Whitecaps FC 2 in a 4–0 defeat to Seattle Sounders FC 2. Parker made his debut for the Whitecaps first team, as well as MLS debut, on May 2, coming on as a late substitute in a 0–0 draw with Cascadia Cup rivals Portland Timbers. He made his first start for the Whitecaps in their next match, a 3–0 win against the Philadelphia Union. On August 5, he scored in his CONCACAF Champions League debut against Cascadia Cup rivals Seattle Sounders FC. Parker was part of a Vancouver defense that allowed 36 goals during the season, tied for the fewest in the league. On June 29, 2016, Parker scored in his second straight Canadian Championship final, giving the Whitecaps a 2–0 lead in the match and 2–1 aggregate lead. Vancouver gave up a goal in five minutes into stoppage time to Will Johnson, leveling the aggregate score at 2–2 and giving Toronto FC the win on away goals. Parker ended the 2016 MLS season with 29 appearances. In Champions League play, Parker made three appearances in the group stage, helping Vancouver finish top of their group. Parker ended the regular season with 32 appearances, one goal and one assist, helping the Whitecaps finish 3rd in the Western Conference and qualify for the playoffs. In the first round of the playoffs, Parker had an assist as Vancouver defeated the San Jose Earthquakes 5–0. He started both legs of the conference semifinals, a 2–0 aggregate loss to the Seattle Sounders. On March 2, 2018, Parker was traded to the New York Red Bulls in exchange for Felipe, $500,000 in targeted allocation money (TAM), and a 2018 international roster slot. On March 6, 2018, he made his Red Bulls debut, appearing as a starter in a 2–0 victory in Mexico over Club Tijuana in the CONCACAF Champions League. He made 4 CCL appearances during 2018, helping New York reach the semifinals, where they lost to eventual champions Guadalajara 1–0 on aggregate. He played his first MLS game with the Red Bulls on March 17, a 1–0 loss to Real Salt Lake. On September 30, 2018, Parker scored his first goal for New York in a 2–0 victory over Atlanta United FC. Parker partnered with fellow center-back Aaron Long to anchor the best defense in MLS, allowing a league low 33 goals and keeping a league leading 15 clean sheets. Parker played every minute of the playoffs as the Red Bulls reached the conference finals, where they lost 3–1 on aggregate to eventual MLS Cup champions Atlanta United, with Parker scoring New York's goal. Parker and the Red Bulls opened the 2019 season on February 20 with a 2–0 win over Atlético Pantoja in the CONCACAF Champions League. Parker made four appearances in the Champions League as New York reached the quarterfinals, where they lost to Santos Laguna with an aggregate score of 6–2.

On October 28, 2020, Parker got an assist in the 89th minute to give the Red Bulls a 1–0 win over the New England Revolution, heading a corner kick onto Aaron long, who put the ball into the net. In a shortened season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Parker ended the regular season with one assist from 19 appearances (out of a possible 23), helping New York finish 6th in the Eastern Conference and qualify for the playoffs. In the Red Bulls' first playoff game, Parker played the full 90 minutes, but New York lost to eventual MLS Cup champions Columbus Crew 3–2. He made his Dynamo debut on April 16, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2–1 win over the San Jose Earthquakes. On June 23, Parker signed a contract extension with Houston until 2024. Parker played every minute of the season for Houston, making 34 appearances, however the team did not enjoy a successful campaign, finishing last in the Western Conference and failing to qualify for the playoffs. Parker was named co-captain before the season, but actually wore the captain's armband for most of the season due to veteran Boniek García, the primary captain, only starting six games.

Parker made 28 appearances, 26 of them starts, in the 2022 regular season, but Houston missed the playoffs again after finishing 13th in the conference. He also made an appearance in the Open Cup.

St. Louis City SC On November 11, 2022, Parker was traded to St. Louis City SC ahead of their inaugural season for $500,000 of GAM, with Houston paying a portion of his salary. On February 25, 2023, the opening match of the season, Parker scored the first goal in St. Louis' franchise history against Austin FC, as the match eventually ended in a 3-2 victory for his side. In his first season with St. Louis, Parker was voted in to the 2023 MLS Best XI as he helped guide the club to an appearance in the MLS Cup Playoffs in the club's inaugural season. Parker netted a career-best five goals during the 2023 season across 33 overall appearances.

New England Revolution On August 2, 2024, St. Louis City traded Parker plus $600,000 in General Allocation Money to the New England Revolution, in exchange for Henry Kessler.

Return to New York Red Bulls On February 6, 2025, Parker returned to the New York Red Bulls on a one year deal with an option for 2026. On September 20, 2025, Parker helped New York to a 2-0 victory over CF Montréal, scoring the opening goal of the match.

International career In January 2016, Parker received his first call-up to the senior United States squad for friendlies against Iceland and Canada. He did not appear in either of the two matches. Two years later, he was called up for a friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Parker made his senior team debut against Ireland on June 2, 2018.

Personal life Parker was born and raised in Hicksville, New York to Ken and Kathy Parker. He has one older brother, Kevin. He attended Hicksville High School and St. John's University, where he majored in finance.

International

Honors Vancouver Whitecaps Canadian Championship: 2015

New York Red Bulls MLS Supporters' Shield: 2018

St. Louis City SC Western Conference (regular season): 2023

Individual MLS All-Star: 2023 MLS Best XI: 2023