Keaton Parks’ home town a place of peaceful protest: "I wish I could have been there and been a part of that."
Thousands of protesters march in Frisco, Texas with the support of the mayor and Chief of Police.
Frisco, Texas was the site of a peaceful protest on June 1 following the murder of George Floyd. Approximately 2,000 residents chanting “I can’t breathe” marched through the streets as part of a global response to support victims of racial injustice.
“Just so everybody knows this is a peaceful protest,” organizer Daniel Rentie announced over a megaphone.
New York City FC midfielder Keaton Parks is a resident of Frisco.
“I hadn't heard about it before it happened but a lot of my friends were posting stuff,” Parks said. “Then after that I read the news and saw everything that went down. It was amazing.”
The 22-year old Parks attended Liberty High School in Frisco and while not in attendance at the protest, he could feel the impact of a march that included the town’s mayor and chief of police.
“I know so many people that showed up,” Parks said. “And that's a huge street that runs down the center of Frisco very close to where I live like a couple streets over so I mean it was amazing sentiment to see the whole city show up. I wish I could have been there and been a part of that.”
COVID isolation
Parks has continued his studies as he works toward a college degree during the pandemic while he has prepared physically according to plans submitted from the NYCFC performance staff. The recent clearance to allow training in small groups at the club’s training facility in Orangeburg, NY is somewhat of a relief for the second-year player.
“It’s nice to be at the training field working out rather than in my parking garage.”
Parks said he has conducted himself carefully through the pandemic recommendations.
“I’ve been isolating and I’m probably even stricter than most people,” Parks said. “That’s just my personal feeling about staying safe. Some guys will do what they want but we are following very strict protocols with the training.”
MLS is Back
Parks and his teammates are working toward a return to competition on July 9 at a tournament in Orlando created by MLS. Utilizing a format that includes six groups, City will meet Philadelphia, Chicago and Orlando in an effort to qualify for the Round of 16.
The winner earns an automatic bid to the 2021 Concacaf Champions League.
“I'm excited to play all of them really and Philadelphia for sure since they are right down the road and is a little more intense than the other two,” Parks said. “We’ve got to get through the group stage and get to the finals.”
The ESPN Wide World of Sports will host the matches. Parks played in a trio of national 3v3 events as a youth player at the complex and also participated in the Disney Showcase there with his club team .
“From what I remember, the fields were excellent,” he said.
No spectators will be permitted to attend the matches and Parks says he prefers that organizers maintain the natural sound of the match rather than the piped in crowd noises that we are now accustomed to in the Bundesliga.
“I've been watching some of the Bundesliga and I don't know how much I like that,” Parks said. “I think I would rather prefer just regular. No sound and speakers. I feel like that would be weird.”