Jeff Parke

Jeff Parke (born March 23, 1982)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> is an American former soccer player. He played 11 seasons in Major League Soccer, appearing in over 250 matches.

Youth

File:Ramón Núñez (10) against Jeff Parke (60).jpg

Parke with New York Red Bulls

Parke played for powerhouse youth club FC Delco. He then played four years of college soccer at Drexel University.

Professional

New York

Parke was drafted by the MetroStars with 60th and last overall pick of the 2004 MLS SuperDraft. He played in the 2005 pre-season, scoring the game-winning goal against Norway's Viking FK in the 2005 La Manga Cup, which helped him earn a starting spot on the MLS team. He remained an important part of the team's defense in 2005 and 2006, quickly becoming one of the team's stalwarts on the back line. In 2006, he started a career-high 31 games, was named Red Bulls' Ironman of the Year for logging in a team-high 2,771 minutes, and was named Co-Unsung Player of the Year by members of the soccer media, sharing that honor with Seth Stammler. In 2007 Parke continued to be a fixture in the Red Bull lineup, appearing in 28 matches including 27 starts. In 2008, he appeared in 24 league matches for New York Red Bulls.

Other MLS clubs

On November 26, 2008, Parke was selected by Seattle Sounders FC in the third round of the 2008 MLS Expansion Draft, but he chose not to sign with Seattle.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Instead, on March 31, 2009, Parke signed a one-year contract with the Vancouver Whitecaps of the USL First Division.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In May 2010, Parke did sign with Seattle.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He remained with the club for three seasons and was voted Seattle's defender of the year in both 2011 and 2012. In December 2012, Parke was traded to his hometown side Philadelphia Union in exchange for a 2013 MLS Supplemental Draft pick and allocation money.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

File:JeffParke defending Patrick Nyarko.jpg

Jeff Parke of the Seattle Sounders defends against Patrick Nyarko of the Chicago Fire (April 28, 2012)

On January 14, 2014, Parke was traded to D.C. United in exchange for Ethan White.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:WaPoCheckDates</ref> Parke played only 13 games for the club, before a combination of foot injuries and migraines requiring inner-ear surgery sidelined him for the rest of the season.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

International

On January 5, 2012, Parke was called into camp for the United States men's national soccer team in preparation for friendly matches against Venezuela and Panama. He made his international debut against Panama, coming on in the 55th minute for Chris Wondolowski after Geoff Cameron received a red card.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Drug controversy

On October 16, 2008, Parke, along with goalkeeper Jon Conway, was suspended for 10 matches each and fined 10 percent of their annual salaries after testing positive for a banned performance-enhancing drug. Parke and Conway tested positive for androstenedione (ATD) and boldenone metabolites, two banned performance-enhancing steroids, after taking an over-the-counter supplement they purchased at The Vitamin Shoppe. The suspensions are currently the longest in MLS history.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Career statistics

Club performance			League		Cup		League Cup		Continental		Total
Season	Club	League	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
US			League		Open Cup		Playoffs		North America		Total
2004	New York Red Bulls	Major League Soccer	28	1	1	0	2	0	0	0	31	1
2005			21	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	21	0
2006			31	0	2	0	2	0	0	0	35	0
2007			28	0	1	0	2	0	0	0	31	0
2008			24	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	25	0
Canada			League		Canadian Championship		League Cup		North America		Total
2009	Vancouver Whitecaps	USL First Division	7	0	5	0	0	0	0	0	12	0
US			League		Open Cup		Playoffs		North America		Total
2010	Seattle Sounders FC	Major League Soccer	20	0	3	0	1	0	2	0	26	0
2011			28	1	3	0	2	0	4	0	37	1
2012			30	0	2	0	4	0	3	0	35	0
2013	Philadelphia Union		31	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	33	0
2014	D.C. United		13	0			0	0	0	0	13	0
Total	US		254	2	15	0	13	0	9	0	291	2
	Canada		7	0	5	0	0	0	0	0	12	0
Career total			261	2	20	0	13	0	9	0	303	2

Honors

New York Red Bulls

• Major League Soccer Western Conference Championship (1): 2008

Seattle Sounders FC

• Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup (2): 2010, 2011

See also

• Drexel Dragons

External links

• Template:MLS player
• Template:NFT player