KC NWSL has lots of defenders, but there’s room for one more if her name’s Lucy Parker
Five months after she was picked in the second round of the 2021 NWSL Draft by Kansas City’s new women’s pro soccer team, Lucy Parker is finally in KC.
Having finished out her spring season with UCLA, the English-born Parker recently joined her KC NWSL teammates for her first practice at Swope Soccer Fields.
“It’s been a long time coming, but I’m loving every day,” Parker said Thursday.
Parker was drafted 16th overall in January, but like teammate Kiki Pickett she opted to remain in college for her final spring campaign. Pickett has already signed a pro contract, but Parker is yet to do so.
The club is in a tricky position with Parker because of the league’s roster limitations. KC is at the max roster size of 28 players, meaning one must be cut to make room for Parker.
Additionally, Parker doesn’t own a green card and will therefore occupy an international roster spot. Currently, KC’s four international roster spot players are Chloe Logarzo, Marianna Larroquette, Victoria Pickett and Jessica Silva.
None will be shown the door, meaning KC will have to trade another team for a fifth international spot via a player or cash considerations.
KC coach Huw Williams said he plans on playing Parker “as soon as possible.”
“She’s young, but even in our practice here she is showing the composure of a veteran,” Williams said.
Parker joins a loaded KC centerback corps: She’s the fifth player capable of occupying that role. But Williams has called her “clearly the best defender in college soccer last season,” so it’s unlikely she’ll be relegated to the bench.
The 22-year-old fits nicely into the system that Williams wants to play, in which the attack starts with the centerbacks and requires players to be good with the ball at their feet.
“We want our defenders to be destructive, but we also want them to be the start of our offense as well, and that’s what she brings,” Williams said. “She’s athletic — she’s sneaky fast.”
About that “sneaky fast” Williams mentioned: It’s important to note that Parker is a quiet player, as in soft-spoken. In one of her first practices, Williams told her he wanted to see how fast she could play by the end of the day.
Parker’s response: “Oh, I’m fast.”
The reserved rookie’s response took Williams by surprise, so he asked one of his assistant coaches if he’d heard her correctly.
He had.
“She’s deceiving, and maybe deceptive, in that way,” captain Amy Rodriguez said.
The veteran Rodriguez has already enjoyed some battles with her younger counterpart in practice. Parker said Thursday that she’s won most of them so far. And Rodriguez agreed.
“Definitely her,” Rodriguez said when asked who wins such matchups. “I would say that Lucy is a pleasure to play with. Having her jump into our team a little late into the season, it’s a hard thing to do. But she’s taken it on with grace and she’s a very composed and calm player. I love (having) a player like that on my team.”
Rodriguez envisions Parker being able to contribute right away, but Parker’s still just aiming for a spot in the starting 11.
“I think I’m just looking forward to getting on the field,” she said, “and hopefully at some point competing for a spot on the field.”
This story was originally published June 17, 2021 at 4:33 PM with the headline "KC NWSL has lots of defenders, but there’s room for one more if her name’s Lucy Parker."