HARRISON, N.J. – The Red Bulls Tuesday traded center back Tim Parker to the Houston Dynamo.

New York will receive a guaranteed $450,000 in General Allocation Money, $300K in 2021 and $150K in 2022. The Red Bulls could receive up to an additional $600,000 if certain conditions and performance metrics are met.

Parker was deemed expendable by the Red Bulls after they acquired Colombian Under-23 center back Andres Reyes earlier in the day.

“Adding Tim Parker addresses our top priority this offseason of strengthening the center of our defense while getting younger, more athletic and bringing a top-quality leader into our group,” Dynamo senior vice president and general manager Matt Jordan said in a statement. “Tim brings a winning mentality on the field and into the locker room every day and has the characteristics that fit well into our system and style of play.”

Said Dynamo head coach Tab Ramos: “Tim is a winner, a leader and a fundamental piece for our club as we build for the upcoming season and our future, both on-and-off the field.”

A native of Hicksville, N.Y., Parker spent the last three seasons with the Red Bulls, including a 2018 season that featured a Supporters’ Shield and a Concacaf Champions League semifinal appearance. He returned to the New York metro area following a trade at the beginning of the 2018 season that brought him back from Vancouver in a swap with midfielder Felipe.

Parker played 38 of the possible 44 matches in 2018. He helped anchor a Red Bulls backline to 17 clean sheets, while contributing two goals and two assists across all competitions. He also earned his first career U.S. men’s national team cap and start during the June FIFA International window.

In three seasons as a Red Bull, Parker accrued 95 matches played with 8,117 minutes across all competitions. He helped anchor a backline to 32 shutouts among all four major competitions in the U.S. The St. John’s University graduate tallied three goals and three assists, two of which came in MLS Cup Playoffs action.

“Tim has been a true professional, and everyone at the club would like to thank Tim for his role in our success over the past three seasons,” Red Bulls head of sport Kevin Thelwell in a statement. “We wish Tim all the best in Houston this season.”

 

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 25 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.