Tim Parker "Pretty Suprised" To Be Traded From St. Louis Midseason

The center back viewed the move to New England as a "good opportunity."

Tim Parker was “pretty surprised” that he was traded to the New England Revolution midway through the 2024 season.

Parker, 31, joined St. Louis CITY SC during its inaugural season in 2023. He served as the vice-captain and was an MLS Best XI pick last year.

On Thursday, Aug. 1, he was pulled aside while in the gym to learn of the news. Two days later, it became official: the Revs got Parker and $600,000 in General Allocation Money and St. Louis got Henry Kessler.

“[I was] pretty surprised,” Parker told The Blazing Musket. “Obviously, I know my contract’s expiring, and there was nothing agreed to for any kind of extension in St. Louis, but I didn’t think that would mean I would be moving.

“But it is what it is, and it’s a good opportunity here.”

Parker spoke about the contract negotiations on The Sam’s Army podcast, saying, “[St. Louis] were lowballing the crap out of me. The first offer they offered me was like a 50% pay cut and it was a one-year deal.”

He added, “I’m being honest, I really loved St. Louis. I was willing to take less money to stay there and I told them that. I was very upfront with them too about, hey look, if you don’t see me here, just tell me that. Because I’m not going to be invested in my contract negotiations with you guys, and like, trying to call my agent and figure out what you guys are sending back to us if it’s not in your plans.

“I don’t think that they were honest with me in that aspect because they kept sending offers, like I said, that were kind of ridiculous. From my point of view, I was like, look, guys, I don’t think these offers are actually real offers. I think you’re kind of just doing this to say that you’re sending me offers, so that if the media asks you can say, oh, we sent Tim multiple contract offers and he’s denied all of them. We’ve done our part, he hasn’t done his.”

Parker was ultimately traded to New England, which has been positive so far.

The center back said that “everyone’s been welcoming” since his arrival. He noted that his new teammates, some of which he knew before, are helping him adjust by telling him “areas to live, where to eat, and what to do.”

While this is the first time that Parker has worked with head coach Caleb Porter, he knows him well. While at St. John’s University, Parker played against Porter’s University of Akron twice. The two faced off again while Parker was at the Vancouver Whitecaps and Porter was at the Portland Timbers.

“He’s been pretty honest with me,” Parker said. “I’ve known Caleb for a long time, so he knows what kind of player I am and what kind of guy I am.

“So he’s kind of like, look, just come in and do your thing. That’s why we brought you in here. What we need from you is to just be you.”

Parker said that it’s been “good to see the different training style they have here compared to what I’m used to.”

When asked what’s different, Parker said, “Definitely a lot of attention to detail. Everything’s done with a really specific purpose in terms of who we’re playing that week or what we want to get better at. I feel like everyone on the team has the idea of what they want to do that week as well.”

In an interview with RevolutionSoccer.net, Parker described himself as “an in-your-face defender” who offers “an old-school style of defending.”

The right-footed defender noted that he’s comfortable playing both center back positions.

“Honestly, either side,” Parker said when asked if he has a preference. “I’ve played probably like half of my professional games on the left side, so I’ve gotten pretty accustomed to it.

“There’s a couple positional nuances that come with that, obviously not being left-footed. But I like to think my left foot is pretty good so that definitely helps.”

Parker joins the Revs with only a few months left on his current deal. According to the MLS Players Association report from April 25, 2024, Parker’s guaranteed compensation is $1,037,500.00.

At the end of the year, Parker will become a free agent, allowing him to negotiate with any club, including the Revs. Porter mentioned that this gives the 31-year-old extra motivation, and Parker agrees.

“I think now it’s not so much me playing for myself, but also my family at this point, so obviously I want to secure a future for them as much as I do myself,” Parker said. “And I still want to continue to prove myself year in and year out.

“Last year, obviously was a really good year for me professionally and as a team in St. Louis, but this year hasn’t been as good of a year, so it’s just something that I have to prove, that my performances can still stand out.”