Former Missouri State Bear goalkeeper Lance Parker is trading in his flip flops and shorts for the cooler environs of Edmonton, Canada. Parker has signed with FC Edmonton, one of eight teams in the North American Soccer League (NASL) that has been provisionally-add
The 25-year old goalie started his career at Missouri State University, where he was twice named All Missouri Valley Conference second team and posted a goal-against average of below one. While with the Missouri State Bears he also played with the Colorado Rapids U-23 team. Parker was signed to Chivas USA in 2008.The American goalkeeper played in the 2008 North American Superliga for Chivas. He was with Miami for two years.
Miami FC, a USSF Divsion II team playing in the newly restructured North American Soccer League (NASL) has rolled out their new kit (uniforms). Former Missouri State Bear Lance Parker was featured prominently in the story ou can check out here. You understand why I chose this picture right?
The season opens for Miami the week after Easter when the Rochester Rhinos visit on Saturday April 10. Home games are played at Lockhart Stadium which is in Ft Lauderdale I believe.
Former Missouri State Bear Lance Parker (2008), after spending two years with Chivas USA, has signed with Miami FC of the NASL. A native of Oklahoma City, Lance Parker made his official Chivas USA debut on July 13 in a 2-1 SuperLiga loss to Pachuca, and his MLS debut on Aug. 8, 2009. Parker made his MLS debut in Chivas USA’s 4-0 loss to Colorado on Aug. 8, and earned his first win and shutout two weeks later in a 2-0 win over Toronto FC.
Miami FC continues to build its roster with the signing of two young but seasoned goalkeepers, in addition to two talented midfielders. Lance Parker and Caleb Patterson will be in goal for the Blues in 2010; while Sean Cameron and local product Gabriel Hoyos add quality to an already-impressive midfield. Terms of these signings were not disclosed.
“It’s great to have these two quality goalkeepers on the team. They are both very young but have the necessary experience to come in and make an immediate impact. In the midfield, Sean has played with us before and we’re glad to have him re-join Miami this year. Gabriel is an exciting young prospect with international experience under his belt. This is shaping up to be an exciting 2010 roster, ” said General Manager Luiz Muzzi
Lance Parker
The 24-year old goalie started his career at Missouri State University, where he was twice named All Missouri Valley Conference second team and posted a goal-against average of below one. While with the Missouri State Bears he also played with the Colorado Rapids U-23 team. Parker was signed to Chivas USA in 2008.The American goalkeeper played in the 2008 North American Superliga.
According to an email sent by Coach John Leamy at Missouri State, it looks like Zach Thornton’s injury during the MLS All-Star game will in fact lead to recent Missouri State graduate Lance Parker getting his first start in a league match for his Chivas USA squad. Coincidentally, he’ll be facing Colorado which will also feature an MSU Bear between the pipes!
I just wanted to share the news that Missouri State University Soccer will have two starting goalkeepers facing off against each other this Saturday night when Chivas USA travels to Colorado and takes on the Rapids. Lance Parker will be starting for Chivas, as regular starter Zack Thorton was injured in last week’s MLS All Star game. Matt Pickens will once again be tending the nets for Colorado. The game is scheduled to kick off at 8:30PM Central Standard Time. Please check out the team’s websites at cdchivasusa.com and coloradorapids.com .
On a somewhat related note, the 23rd Annual Missouri State University Auction Benefiting Athletics will take place on Friday, August 14th for the first time in the new JQH Arena! Doors open at 5:00pm with the live auction taking place at 7:30pm. Additional information can be found at missouristatebears.com. Looking forward to seeing you there!
According the MLS preview, this is a crucial matchup in the Western Conference at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park as the Colorado Rapids and Chivas USA, tied for fourth place in the division. Both teams come into tied for what would be the final spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs. Thornton is listed as questionable with a quad strain while Dan Kennedy is out due to knee surgery. The game is on Direct Kick so find someone with satellite!
You missed a good game on Thursday if you were wrapped up in the NCAA early round games. The Seattle Sounders clobbered the NY Red Bull 3-0 which is a nice introduction to the league. They’ve got a 21 y.o. Columbian kid by the name of Freddy Montero you’ll be seeing a lot of this season.
I’ll be drowning my sorry in St Louis this weekend, and plan on enjoying the Chivas USA vs Colorado Rapids match at 9:30 pm CDT. Both teams have goalies on the roster that are Missouri State Bear alum’s, maybe we’ll get to see one or both of them. The MSU website has a nice roundup on the two of them.
With the opening of the Major League Soccer season coming this weekend, it’s time for me to get caught up with the comings and goings on the MLS rosters. In particular, what’s up with the goalkeepers that Missouri State has sent to the major leagues. But before I dive into those details, a quick update on a new prospect.
Justin Alford (Poplar Bluff/Springfield SC) has been invited to tryout with Chivas USA for five days next week. It’s Spring Break for Justin and he’s ready to measure himself at the next level. I was fortunate to catch up with him Sunday after the Bear’s late afternoon practice.
I neglected to ask him but I’m guessing he has former Poplar Bluff classmate Tyler Hansbrough’s UNC team at the top of his March Madness brackets. How about you?
Lance Parker – Lance is now officially a member of the Senior Roster at Chivas USA, albeit with 0 years of experience. You may recall the Reserve League was eliminated which meant 100 players across 15 clubs were not re-signed. Lance played in the preseason game against the Fire, winning a 1v1 battle with Blanco I understand, and has also found a new place in LA that’s a mile from the beach. All excellent signs for the #3 keeper behind Zach Thornton and Dan Kennedy.
Matt Pickens – Matt returns to the MLS to play for the Colorado Rapids. We last saw him at the Chicago Fire before his short stint with Queens Park Rangers in England. The Rapids website notes that he’ll battle for the 1st team position with Preston Burpo who was 3-0-1 in September 2008.
Matt’s joined on the roster by another St Louis native, John DiRaimondo, who begins his second year on the senior roster after two years on the Reserve roster. DiRaimondo played at SLU/SLUH.
Work, and The Magazine, are requiring plenty of my time these days folks so I apologize for the lack of diversity on the site the past week or so. I love the High School game but there’s more to be aware of and enjoy out there. I’ll be back to normal programming next week, including a number of College Player updates. I’ve got a backlog of reports to share with you but it takes time to put them together properly so they’ll have to wait. In the meantime, here are some items I found interesting.
On a more positive note, I didn’t get pictures or a game report on the KC Wizards win over David Beckham, Landon Donovan and the LA Galaxy last Saturday. Heck it was Monday before I even heard what the score was, which was a bit strange. I did see that Jack Jewsburyplayed in his 150th game for the KC Wizards that day, tying him for 10th all-time for the Wizards. It’s also great to see that Jack’s back in the middle. He expressed an interest in that position in my interview with him in the first Magazine, teaming with his best friend Davy Arnaud has to ensure great communication as well. Congrats Jack!
OK, now for the goalkeepers and coaches out there. Was chatting with a couple of high school coaches recently and goalkeeper training came up. Well, here’s one of two video examples I found recently that will probably offer some good ideas that are easily implemented for your team. Click on the video itself to be taken to a second example as well as others that YouTube will highlight for you.
And yes, that’s Chris “Tommy” Tombridge (Kickapoo/Springfield SC/Northwestern) doing plenty of hard work with Lance Parker (Chivas/MSU Bears) under the guidance of former MSU Coach Jesse Miech.
Have you been watching the US Men’s team qualifying games? Any thoughts on who deserves to play in South Africa in 2010? These guys have been!
That’s Lance on the left along with veteran midfielder Jesse Marsch and Jamaican defender Shavar Thomas on the set of KTLA in LA, as part of the “Shirt Off Their Back” promotion Chivas ran earlier this season. Way to represent Lance!
There are also plenty of action shots to be found on Google but I thought this one might get me more traffic If you click on the photo, you’ll get a larger version.
Somehow I missed the fact that MLS now has a YouTube channel. Low quality video (YouTube sucks that way) but plenty of choice. Here’s the video of Chivas USA vs Pachuca back on July 13th when Lance got the start in the 2-1 loss. Plenty of action, and plenty of opportunities for the Spanish language announcer to scream “Lance Parker!!” as he makes some fine saves.
Chivas travels to Chicago this Saturday to take on the Fire and then return to the Midwest on Saturday August 9th for a game against the KC Wizards. I think it’s time for me to make a trip up to CAB and catch a game. Anyone else interested?
UPDATE – Chivas lost 1-2 despite scoring first in Lance Parker’s debut for the senior side. Here’s the story from the LA Times which mentions Lance (w00t!) and from the tournament site. There’s also a video page which featured live streaming of the game last night, check back for a highlight reel and potential future matches. Did anyone see the game? What are your thoughts?
This one deserves a post of it’s own – there is a strong possibility that Lance Parker (Missouri State 2008) may play for Chivas USA this evening in the Superliga game against Pachuca CF. Game time is 7:00 pm on the coast, or 9:00 pm locally.
Anyone aware of a Mexican restaurant in the area that 1) might be open that late and 2) has the Telefutura channel (available on Dish) that is broadcasting the game?
Alternately, I’m sending out a personal appeal to anyone who has Telefutura and can offer me a tape/DVD of the game later this week
Superliga is a second year competition between the top 4 teams in MLS and the Mexican League. Last year’s tournament was won by Chivas’ opponent tonight, Pachuca, while the defending MLS champion Houston Dynamo opened this year’s tournament with a 3-0 win over Atlante FC, the defending champions in Mexico.
Former Missouri State Bear goalkeeper Lance Parker is trading in his flip flops and shorts for the cooler environs of Edmonton, Canada. Parker has signed with FC Edmonton, one of eight teams in the North American Soccer League (NASL) that has been provisionally-add
If you click on the photo, you’ll get a larger version.