Carlos Parra (born February 3, 1977) is a retired American

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

player signed by MLS Pr He played professionally as a defender in

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

and the

USL First Division The USL First Division (USL-1) was a professional men's soccer league in the second tier of the United States league system. It was organized by the United Soccer League as its premier league for men from 1996 to 2010, above the USL Second ...

Professional career

Club

Parra played for the Oakwood Soccer Club in Glastonbury, CT. In 1997, Parra graduated from

Hamden Hall Country Day School Hamden Hall Country Day School is a coeducational Private school, private day school in Hamden, Connecticut, educating students in preschool through grade 12. Hamden Hall was founded in 1912 as a Country Day School movement, country day school ...

where he was a two-time Parade Magazine All American soccer player. On March 1, 1997, Parra became the first player to sign with

MLS Project 40 Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanctioned by the United S ...

. The league assigned him to the MetroStars. He began the 1998 season on loan to MLS Pro 40 in the

USISL A-League The USL First Division (USL-1) was a professional men's soccer league in the second tier of the United States league system. It was organized by the United Soccer League as its premier league for men from 1996 to 2010, above the USL Second Di ...

. On June 5, 1998, the MetroStars traded Parra to the

Miami Fusion Miami Fusion F.C. was an American professional soccer club based in the Miami metropolitan area. The club competed in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team played from 1998 to 2001. Announced in 1997 as one ...

for

Ramiro Corrales Ramiro Corrales (born March 12, 1977) is an American former professional soccer player. He spent most of his professional playing career with the San Jose Earthquakes in Major League Soccer. Known as a "reliable contributor who sstrong in defen ...

. On June 4, 1999, the Fusion sent Parra to the

New England Revolution The New England Revolution are an American professional association football, soccer club based in the Greater Boston area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. It is on ...

for Tony Kuhn and a second-round pick in the

2000 MLS SuperDraft The 2000 Major League Soccer MLS SuperDraft, SuperDraft was held on February 6, 2000 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and consisted of six rounds. One of the most successful draft picks was goalkeeper Nick Rimando, a third round pick, who went on t ...

. The Revolution sent him on loan to MLS Pro 40 and the Connecticut Wolves during the 2000 season. On March 20, 2001, the Revolution traded Parra and Imad Baba to the

Colorado Rapids The Colorado Rapids are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Founded in ...

for

Matt Okoh Matthew Nwabueze Okoh (born May 19, 1972) is a former U.S.-Nigerian soccer player and currently assistant coach of the DSU Hornets Women. His playing career spanned eight years and took him from the United States to Brazil, Germany and Portugal ...

and the Rapids second round draft pick in the

2002 MLS SuperDraft The 2002 Major League Soccer SuperDraft was held on February 10, 2002 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. One month earlier, MLS had contracted two clubs: Tampa Bay Mutiny and Miami Fusion. In conjunction with the contraction, the league conducted ...

. On March 26, the Rapids waived Parra. Parra then signed with the

Rochester Rhinos Rochester Rhinos, formerly known as the Rochester Raging Rhinos, was an American soccer team based in Rochester, New York, United States. The club won the 1999 U.S. Open Cup, marking the only time a non-MLS team has won the U.S. Open Cup sinc ...

of the

USL A-League The USL First Division (USL-1) was a professional men's soccer league in the second tier of the United States league system. It was organized by the United Soccer League as its premier league for men from 1996 to 2010, above the USL Second Di ...

. On June 11, 2001, Parra moved to the

Atlanta Silverbacks The Atlanta Silverbacks FC were an American professional soccer club based in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1998 as Atlanta Ruckus, the club played in many leagues over the years before folding after the 2015 season. The team played its home game ...

as part of a three-team trade. As part of the trade deal, the Silverbacks sent

Steve Armas Anibal "Steve" Armas (born March 2, 1977) is a retired American soccer midfielder who is a currently associate head coach for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's soccer program. Armas previously spent one season in Major League Soccer and severa ...

to the

Minnesota Thunder Minnesota Thunder was an American professional association football, soccer team based in Minnesota, United States. Founded in 1990, the team played in the USL First Division (USL-1), the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, until 2009. T ...

and the Thunder sent Stoian Mladenov to the Rhinos. On February 10, 2003, Parra signed with the

. He played two games, then retired.MN Thunder sign Parra
/ref>

International

In 1997, Parra played two games for the

United States men's national under-20 soccer team The United States U-20 men's national soccer team is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation. The highest level of competition in which the team competes is the FIFA U-20 World Cup, which is held every two years. The United States' b ...

at the

1997 FIFA World Youth Championship The 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship, known as the 1997 FIFA/Coca-Cola World Youth Championship for sponsorship purposes, was the 11th staging of the FIFA U-20 World Cup, FIFA World Youth Championship. It was held from 16 June to 5 July 1997 i ...

. From 1998 to 2000, he also played nine times for the

United States men's national under-23 soccer team The United States U-23 men's national soccer team, also known as the United States men's Olympic soccer team, is a youth soccer team operated under the auspices of U.S. Soccer. Its primary role is qualification into and competition at the quadr ...

External links

* *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parra, Carlos Living people 1977 births American sportspeople of Colombian descent American men's soccer players Atlanta Silverbacks FC players Connecticut Wolves players New York Red Bulls players Miami Fusion players New England Revolution players Minnesota Thunder players Rochester New York FC players Major League Soccer players A-League (1995–2004) players United States men's under-20 international soccer players United States men's under-23 international soccer players MLS Pro-40 players Men's association football defenders Hamden Hall Country Day School alumni