As fans in a salary-capped league increasingly seeking to become enmeshed in the global transfer market, Major League Soccer fans are used to key players leaving their club. While Tim Parker’s departure to Houston has some solid rationale on paper, many New York Red Bulls supporters will still feel a twinge in their heart to see him go. Although his last two seasons could be bumpy as the club stagnated, Parker’s stint in New York should be associated first and foremost with the success of the blistering 2018 shield-winning campaign.
In forming a historically elite unit with Aaron Long, Kemar Lawrence, and Amir Murillo, Parker’s arrival signaled a new emphasis at the back in Harrison.