BOUNCING BACK Parke puts disappointing '05 season behind him
After a solid preseason, Jeff Parke, tackling Clint Dempsey, has been the Red Bulls' best defender in the team's opening two matches.
By Dylan Butler
BigAppleSoccer.com Associate Editor
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Jeff Parke wanted to put his second season in MLS behind him — the blunder in New England, the injuries, everything.
He told Red Bulls coach Mo Johnston he’d like to be a part of the team but he didn’t exactly do a lot last year to support his desire. So Parke hired a personal trainer and dedicated his off-season to bettering himself, both mind and body. And while other defenders, Chris Leitch, Tim Ward and Tim Regan, were sent packing, Parke remained in the fold.
When he reported to the Giants Stadium practice bubble Feb. 1, the 6-foot-1 Parke was a solid 160 pounds and had reduced his body fat percentage. He was ready.
“I knew that I had a not so good second year and I had to come in here and prove myself and try and have some fun again, leave the pressure and all the annoying things that happened last year back,” Parke said.
There were higher profile players like Marvell Wynne and Peter Canero in camp. But Parke quietly excelled, earning Johnston’s confidence.
“He’s come in and worked very hard,” Johnston said. “You can see the way he’s playing, he’s playing with a totally different attitude.”
Parke was the MetroStars Newcomer of the Year in 2004 after starting 27 of the club’s 28 games, playing the full 90 minutes in all but two contests.
His second season started ominously. Parke hurt his ankle before preseason but continued to play on it. As a result, he injured his hamstring. Then there was a concussion in the third game of the season.
And then there’s the gaffe — June 25, 2005 at Gillette Stadium: stripped of the ball at the top left of the penalty area, Parke watched Steve Ralston beat goalkeeper Zach Wells from 12 yards. The MetroStars’ one-goal lead turned into a 4-2 loss to the Revs.
Parke was crushed.
“It stayed with me and the injuries I had weren’t going away,” he said. “It was a lot of other things going on. It was a tough year for me. You make a couple of mistakes and it’s tough to forget about them, especially when you let your teammates down.”
He added: “It’s tough being a defender. You can have a good game and make one mistake and all of a sudden everyone looks at you.”
But Johnston, a lethal scorer throughout his 21-year career, taught Parke about defending from a striker’s perspective. And, through the opening two games, it’s worked.
“I try and talk him through certain things, what to be aware of, dropping off at certain times, when to come up, how to play against guys who can score inside the box, i.e. Taylor Twellman, Jaime Moreno,” he said. “And those guys haven’t done that against us.”
Following a solid preseason, Johnston inserted Parke in the starting XI in a season-opening 2-2 tie against D.C. and he was tough, good in the air and tackled hard. The same was the case in a scoreless draw against New England last week.
“He’s really coming back from last year when he didn’t play as well as he could have,” Carlos Mendes said. “He’s just been solid for us and he’s doing great.”
