FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Summer in New England is a beautiful time, an opportunity to take a beach trip as much as it is an excuse to stay in and crank the A/C. And for the new additions to the New England Revolution, this summer – and particularly the brief break in play the Revs are currently enjoying – is proving to be the perfect backdrop for getting settled in, both on and off the pitch.
While the two summer signings from overseas, winger Luca Langoni and midfielder Alhassan Yusuf, are still finalizing their visa paperwork and flight itineraries, trade acquisitions Tim Parker and Will Sands have already touched down in Foxborough, and revolutionsoccer.net got to speak with both defenders on Tuesday to ask about how they’re liking things so far. Both New York natives, they will be no strangers to whatever this winter will have in store, but while the weather was still nice, we discussed what fans can expect to see from the two of them on the field, as well as what they’re both looking forward to away from it.
Parker, 31, is the journeyman of the two, having previously played for Vancouver Whitecaps FC, New York Red Bulls, Houston Dynamo FC, and, most recently, St. Louis CITY SC in MLS. With the experience he has under his belt, then, Parker said he was coming in feeling welcomed by friendly faces that weren’t so unfamiliar to him after all.
“It’s been pretty good,” Parker said of getting settled in. “A good amount of familiar faces that I’ve known throughout the league for a little while.” As if to demonstrate, he took the opportunity to poke fun at fellow defender Jonathan Mensah as he passed – “Some guys I don’t really like, like Jonah,” he heckled, as the two shared a laugh.
But Parker conceded that his new teammates were helpful after all, making him feel at home in his new environment.
“The guys have been really welcoming,” Parker said, “getting me a little bit acquainted with the area, just because they’ve been here. So, little restaurants, where to live, that kind of stuff.”
Meanwhile, the 24-year-old Sands has only known one club as an MLS pro. Coming up through the New York City FC academy and playing a few seasons of college soccer with the Georgetown Hoyas, a trade deal allowed Sands to sign his first Homegrown contract with the Columbus Crew in 2022, under none other than current Revs head coach Caleb Porter.
However, Sands has felt just as welcomed as his fellow signee, adding that he’s been happy to be back in a familiar part of the country.
“It’s been really nice,” he said. “Everyone on the team’s been fantastic, it’s easy to settle in. And the city’s amazing. I have family that’s grown up here, so, yeah, it’s nice to be back on the East coast.”
Both Sands and Parker may be listed as defenders, but it has to be said that they play with two fairly distinct styles. Sands, for one, enjoys the attacking side of the game at left back, having converted from playing further forward in his younger years.
“I am, I would say, an attacking full back,” Sands said. “I like to put in the work defensively, but I used to be a forward so my natural inclination is to get forward as much as I can.”
Parker, on the other hand, describes himself as “an in-your-face defender” who practices “an old-school style of defending.” That usually means just about one thing: stop opposing goals, and opposing players, by just about any means necessary.
“I don’t always make it the prettiest,” Parker stated, “but sometimes it gets the job done, and that’s all I need.”
Still, Parker isn’t a total stranger to getting on the scoresheet; in fact, his name was etched into St. Louis CITY lore when he scored the club’s very first goal in MLS play, at the start of last season. The central defender said he did like to be involved in attacking set pieces, whether by scoring himself or otherwise helping the cause.
“On one end, my job is to keep the ball out of the net, but on the other side, whenever there’s set pieces, it’s to be as dangerous as I can,” he said. “Sometimes that’s me getting on the end of it, or it’s opening up space for other guys, as well.”
Naturally, both are fierce competitors, with high aspirations for what they and their new club can do. Parker has both a Voyageurs Cup (2015) and a Supporters’ Shield (2018) to his name, while Sands lifted MLS Cup just last season with the Columbus Crew. Both now hope to add more silverware to the trophy cabinet, and both are confident that the Revolution can make a strong push in the coming final stretch of the 2024 MLS season.
“Just continuing to do that kind of stuff,” Parker said when asked about his past successes. “Winning’s always the goal at the end of the day, and trophies are obviously the outcome of winning. So being able to win games and create that winning mentality, to bring what I’ve had from my past, what a lot of guys here have had it as well, so just emphasizing that.”
And Sands saw serious potential for this club to do just that. “I think we can do something special,” he said. “We’ve gotten a lot of results in the [last few] games, I think the attitude is there, and I think we have a very talented roster. So as soon as everyone is back, I think it’s going to be dangerous for other teams.”
Soccer aside, both Parker and Sands said that they were both glad to be so close to the city of Boston.
“I’m just excited to be in a new city,” Sands said. “I grew up in New York, went to school in DC, so I’m just excited to explore Boston.”
Similarly, Parker said, “I’m happy to be back in a big city like Boston. I grew up in New York, so – the sports don’t really align very well, but that’s OK. I’m excited to be in a big sports town again. And to be in the Northeast by my family and friends is nice, too.”
MLS play resumes later this month, but Revs fans won’t have the chance to see the team’s new additions in action at Gillette Stadium until September 7, when, of all teams, Parker’s former club St. Louis City visits Foxborough for the first time in the young franchise’s history. Until then, Parker and Sands – and, soon enough, Langoni and Yusuf – will be giving their all for their new coach, teammates, and badge on the training ground and in upcoming road games against Montréal and Real Salt Lake, in anticipation of meeting the Foxborough faithful and in pursuit of a place in this year’s playoff picture.
