Back with Red Bulls, Hicksville's Tim Parker has hardware on his mind

Tim Parker already had missed about two-thirds of the boys soccer season because of an injury. The promising Hicksville freshman finally was ready for his varsity debut, and he went a whole lot longer than planned. How could the coaches take him out?

“We told his parents . . . ‘We’ll just put him out there for 20 minutes, kind of loosen up,’ ” said Scott Starkey, Hicksville’s head coach dating to Parker’s senior year in 2010 but then an assistant to Jack Fabrizio.

“It was a close game against Freeport, I remember. And we left him out there the whole 80 minutes because he was dominating even as a freshman, which is pretty impressive.”

That impressive kid became an All-American striker at Hicksville, an All-Big East defender at St. John’s and an All-Star center-back in MLS, making stops with Vancouver, the Red Bulls, Houston, St. Louis City and New England. He started 260 of his 274 games over the last 10 seasons.

Now he’s returning to this area as he nears 32 later this month, ready to make a sequel in Harrison, New Jersey. The Red Bulls announced Thursday that they had signed Parker to a one-year deal with a 2026 team option.

“It means a lot that they wanted me here and they saw a position for me here,” Parker said Wednesday from their training camp in Palm Springs, California. “I’m just excited to come back home.”

He’s got Long Island company here. Sean Nealis and Dylan Nealis, the brothers from Massapequa, were regular starters on defense last season, including in a three-center-back alignment during the postseason, when the Red Bulls made the MLS Cup final before falling to the L.A. Galaxy.

“I got to play with Sean Nealis before during my previous tenure here with the Red Bulls, and now that his younger brother is here, too, it’s pretty unique,” said Parker, who usually spends his offseasons in Florida.

“So I think if we ever got a chance to share the field together, it would be a pretty good Long Island story.”

This story already is dripping with Island inspiration.

“I think it will help the young players on Long Island to see that . . . it is possible to make it to MLS,” Sean Nealis said. “Yeah, it will just be a cool experience to have us all on the same team.”

Parker’s first run with the Red Bulls began in 2018 after they acquired him from Vancouver, the team that drafted him with the 13th overall pick in 2015. The 6-2 Parker was a regular starter for three seasons before being traded to Houston.

“He brings his all every day, and I think that’s a great attribute to have for us,” Sean Nealis said.

Parker’s first year was the best year. The Red Bulls took the Supporters’ Shield for posting the most points.

“Winning the Supporters’ Shield was incredible,” Parker said.

His time with expansion St. Louis City in 2023 brought more joy. Parker scored the first goal in franchise history, earned All-Star honors, reached the playoffs and was named as one of the league’s top players — aka the MLS Best XI.

“It was a really special year,” Parker said. “I’d just been married, just moved to St. Louis, scoring the first goal. There was a lot of good energy around the team, a lot of excitement. I think we kind of rode that to a really successful year. For me, it gave me a lot of life in terms of how much I really did love the game.”

Back in 2010, he loved scoring goals as a forward. Parker played center-back away from high school soccer, so he wanted to play other positions for Hicksville. He scored 25 times and was named Newsday’s Long Island Player of the Year and the Gatorade New York Boys Soccer Player of the Year.

Starkey called him “kind of a legend in our parts.”

“He was elite-skilled, but he was big, powerful, fast, had a great field awareness,” Starkey said.

These days, Parker describes himself another way.

“I joke around,” said Parker, who played for St. Louis City and New England last season. “I call myself ‘a journeyman’ now.”

His next quest for MLS’ ultimate trophy commences Feb. 22 at FC Cincinnati.

“A lot of the team is back, so I’m excited to see what I can contribute to this team this year,” Parker said. “The goal is obviously to get back to another final, and hardware is always the main goal.”