Isaiah Parker (born September 1, 2002) is an American

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

player who plays for North Texas SC of MLS Next Pro on loan from

FC Dallas FC Dallas is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). The franchise be ...

Career

Youth and college

Parker joined the

Chicago FC United Chicago FC United, commonly called FC United, is an American soccer club in the Chicago metropolitan area. FC United fields youth teams for boys and girls, and a semi-professional team in USL League Two, the fourth-tier of American soccer. Yout ...

academy in 2016, and played with the academy team throughout high school. Parked helped the FC United U17 & U19 teams to the

U.S. Soccer Development Academy The U.S. Soccer Development Academy (DA) was an American soccer league. Formed in 2007, the league features youth academies and youth clubs from various organizations, including Major League Soccer and the United Soccer League. The DA's mission ...

and the

MLS Next MLS Next (stylized as MLS NEXT) is a youth soccer league in the United States and Canada, that is managed, organized and controlled by Major League Soccer. It was introduced by the league in 2020. It is a successor to the U.S. Soccer Developmen ...

Playoffs. During the 2019–20 USSDA season, Parker lead FC United's under-19 team in goals scored with 12 goals. Parker signed a

National Letter of Intent National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

with

Saint Louis University Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private Jesuit research university with campuses in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, and Madrid, Spain. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Mississip ...

ahead of the

2021 NCAA Division I men's soccer season The 2021 NCAA Division I men's soccer season was the 63rd season of NCAA championship men's college soccer. After the 2020 NCAA Division I men's soccer season was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 season partially returned to normal. H ...

. He made his

college soccer College soccer is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. It is very prominent in United States, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and as well as in South Africa and the Philippines. The United Kingd ...

debut for the men's soccer team on August 26, 2021, in a 2–1 win over Louisville. Parker started and played the entire match and made an assist in the match. Parker helped Saint Louis achieve a 16–1–4 season record, their best record since 2001. The Billikens ended up going on a run in the 2021 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament, where they reached the Quarterfinals (for the first time since 2003), before losing to eventual National Runners-Up,

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

. Parker finished his freshman year by being named to the

Atlantic 10 Conference The Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) is a collegiate athletic conference whose schools compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I. The A-10's member schools are located in states mostly on the United States Eastern ...

All-Rookie team and the '' TopDrawer Soccer'' first-team Freshman Best XI team.

Professional

Following his freshman season, Parker signed a

Generation adidas Generation Adidas is a joint venture between Major League Soccer and U.S. Soccer aimed at raising the level of young professional soccer talent in the United States. The program, sponsored by Adidas, offers professional-ready players in the U.S. ...

contract with

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

, making him eligible for the

2022 MLS SuperDraft The 2022 MLS SuperDraft was the 23rd edition of the SuperDraft conducted by Major League Soccer. The SuperDraft is held every January prior to the start of the MLS season and has been conducted via conference calls since 2020. Previously, the Su ...

. A prospective Top 10 pick, Parker was selected third overall in the 2022 MLS Draft by

on January 11, 2022. Parker became the highest drafted player out of Saint Louis University since Matt McKeon in 1996. Parker was sent on loan to North Texas SC,

' reserve team for the duration of the 2022 season. On March 26, 2022, Parker made his professional debut for North Texas, playing the entire match at left back in a 3–1 victory over

Minnesota United FC 2 Minnesota United FC 2 is an American professional soccer team that is located in St. Paul, Minnesota. It is the reserve team of Minnesota United FC and participates in MLS Next Pro. History On December 6, 2021, Minnesota United FC were named as ...

Honors

Individual * Atlantic 10 Conference All-Rookie team:

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

* ''TopDrawerSoccer'' All Freshman Best XI:

References

External links

*
Isaiah Parker
at

Athletics {{DEFAULTSORT:Parker, Isaiah 2002 births Living people Men's association football defenders FC Dallas draft picks FC Dallas players North Texas SC players San Antonio FC players Saint Louis Billikens men's soccer players Major League Soccer players MLS Next Pro players USL Championship players Soccer players from Illinois Sportspeople from Lake County, Illinois American men's soccer players