New York City FC have some good news to start 2020 as it appears that Keaton Parks will be extending his stay permanently with the Bronx club on a long term deal. The story comes from Paul Tenorio of the Athletic and states that the team has locked down the 22-year-old Texan for the foreseeable future.
Parks played in 22 games for City in 2019 and scored one goal. At first, it appeared that he would play back-up to Ebenezer Ofori but eventually earned himself 14 starts next to the likes of Maxi Moralez and captain Alexander Ring. The move not only makes the team younger in the midfield but also shows that they are interested in retaining top talent. After the 2018 campaign, the team lost out on Yangel Herrera who returned to Spain after his loan. Herrera was an important piece in City’s success but the acquisition of Parks may show the shift in keeping domestic players with the club.
The move comes as the team is still in turmoil. No head coach has been chosen and the top choice, Giovanni van Bronkhorst, appears to be slated for a top coaching spot in China. Other names have been floated around but little in the way of confirmation. City starts preseason in less than 10 days and is a month away from their first game in the CONCACAF Champions League against San Carlos.