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The New York Red Bulls have officially announced the re-signing of center-back Tim Parker to a “multi-year MLS contract using Targeted Allocation Money”.
The 25-year-old landed at RBNY in March, 2018, with a year to run on his contract and a question-mark hanging over his future in the MLS.
Back in June, Paul Tenorio reported for The Athletic that MLS had been refusing to approve the use of Targeted Allocation Money - a league mechanism for paying down contracts that are above the maximum budget charge permitted by MLS salary cap rules.
All season long - as Parker cemented his status as a key part of RBNY’s preferred starting back line, helped the team to a league-record regular-season points total and its third Supporters’ Shield in six seasons, and won his first caps for the US Men’s National Team - it was evident that among the Red Bulls’ priorities for 2018 was clearing whatever was blocking Parker from securing the sort of high-value contract he wanted and very clearly deserved. And making sure he got that contract with RBNY and nowhere else.
Red Bulls Sporting Director Denis Hamlett assured fans that was indeed a priority of his when the Red Bulls arrived at the end of their 2018 season and no new contract for Parker had been announced.
"We have ongoing negotiations with [Tim Parker]." -Sporting Director Denis Hamlett#RBNY
— New York Red Bulls (@NewYorkRedBulls) December 3, 2018
Just a few days later, The Athletic’s Kristian Dyer reported those ongoing negotiations were approaching a positive conclusion. And a few days after that, Goal.com’s Ives Galarcep advised the deal had been done, reporting that was supported by ProSoccerUSA’s Dylan Butler. All told, it took just over a week from RBNY’s end-of-year roster update to announce Parker had re-signed: Denis Hamlett is enjoying a very efficient off-season at the moment.
Per Ives Galarcep, the “multi-year contract” is reportedly a three-year deal. Per Dylan Butler, the TAM has been applied to give Parker “in the neighborhood of $700,000 in the first year and up to around $800,000 at the end”.
The greatest immediate significance for RBNY in re-signing Parker is that the club has 10 of its 2018 preferred starting XI under contract for 2019. Tyler Adams has transferred to RB Leipzig; the rest - Luis Robles, Kemar Lawrence, Aaron Long, Parker, Michael Murillo, Sean Davis, Daniel Royer, Kaku, Alex Muyl, and Bradley Wright-Phillips - are still with the Red Bulls of New York.