The New York Red Bulls and Vancouver Whitecaps agreed on a trade deal announced Friday afternoon. New York receives center back Tim Parker in exchange for midfielder Felipe, a 2018 international roster spot, and $500,000 of Targeted Allocation Money over two years.
Full details of the Red Bulls-Vancouver trade, per source:
-Vancouver receive Felipe, $225,000 in 2018 TAM, $275,000 in 2019 TAM and a 2018 international spot
-New York receive Tim Parker— Sam Stejskal (@samstejskal) March 2, 2018
New York Red Bulls Acquire Tim Parker From Vancouver Whitecaps: What It Means
Parker, a Hicksville, NY native, played his college soccer at St. John’s University along with RBNY veteran Connor Lade. During their time there, the Red Storm captured the 2011 Big East championship.
Though just 25 years old, Parker is a proven player in Major League Soccer. Parker was a first-round pick in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft by the Whitecaps. He has a career 76 MLS games under his belt, with one goal and one assist. He also has appeared in five MLS Cup Playoff games to add to his experience.
Red Bulls fans first must deal with the loss of a beloved player before welcoming their new center back. Felipe was an iron-man in his three seasons in New York, missing just two matches. Over that time, he notched 10 goals and 17 assists and inspired countless fans with his gritty play in the middle of the park. “The guy was quality when he was here. Even up to his last game he gave 100 percent,” said striker Bradley Wright-Phillips of his former teammate.
This move is a tough one to swallow for Metro faithful, but there is a lot more to digest from the transaction than what is on the surface.
What It Means
One of the off-season developments that allowed the Red Bulls to be able to make this trade for Parker is midfield depth. The amount of talented and younger midfielders on the RBNY roster made Felipe more expendable. It allowed Jesse Marsch to look at one of the more pressing issues being the center back position.
This midfield depth includes developing talents such as Sean Davis and Tyler Adams, and new additions like Kaku and Marc Rzatkowski. Marsch has spoken highly of each of these players, notably Rzatkowski. “His instincts to close down space and make sure he’s ball-oriented at all times is the best I’ve ever seen,” Marsch said after RBNY’s 2-0 CONCACAF Champions League victory over CD Olimpia on Thursday night.
Rzatkowski will likely be the go-to box-to-box midfielder with the skill and work ethic he has demonstrated so far. In addition, Royer and Kaku can both be options on the wing. Kaku and Adams each have the ability to play the role of a number 10. And Davis has shown he can play any of the aforementioned midfield roles on any given day.
Moving to the back line, the Red Bulls now have elite depth at the center back position. Aaron Long and Parker will likely be the ideal pairing in the middle for Marsch’s starting XI. Behind them, options are Aurelien Collin, Fidel Escobar, and Tommy Redding.
In the last two CCL games, Collin struggled to keep up with the pace of the opposing attack. He looked out of position and uncomfortable at times. Escobar has yet to prove that he is a reliable starting option after inconsistent performances, and Redding has not featured in a Marsch squad yet. All three of these players have work to do to challenge for a starting job. Despite that, this is possibly the best depth the Red Bulls have had at the position in years.
Wrap-Up
Recently, Marsch has emphasized his focus on developing young American talent. Friday’s move to acquire Parker exemplified this philosophy. The Red Bulls have a very young yet capable roster heading into the 2018 MLS season and the CCL Quarterfinals.
With a midfield full of options and a solid defense with depth behind it, RBNY is poised to make an impact in every competition they play in. Marsch has the ability to rotate his squad when needed which will be essential for the team to make a run in the CCL and be successful in MLS play.
Led by new captain Luis Robles, this young, talented, quick squad will be a formidable force going forward, especially after Friday’s trade.
