Michael Parkhurst
Encyclopedia
Michael Parkhurst is an American
soccer player. He plays primarily as center back for F.C. Nordsjælland
in the Danish Superliga
. Parkhurst has amassed 9 caps for the United States men's national team
, including a member of two CONCACAF Gold Cup
squads and participated in the 2008 Summer Olympics
.
in Florida. He played college soccer
at Wake Forest University
for the Demon Deacons
from 2002 to 2004, where he started all sixty-two games the team played during his tenure, scoring one goal and registering two assists. Parkhurst was named a second-team All-American as a sophomore and junior and graduated from the university with a degree in history. He then signed a Generation adidas
contract with MLS following the 2004 season.
, in 1996. Nine years later, on January 14, 2005, he was selected ninth overall in the 2005 MLS SuperDraft
by his hometown Revolution. He was ever-present for the Revs in his first season and was named MLS Rookie of the Year
.
He scored his first career MLS goal on October 20, 2007, in a 2–2 draw between the Revolution and Toronto FC
. The goal was scored from sixty yards out, having caught Toronto's keeper Kenny Stamatopoulos
off-guard.
Parkhurst won the MLS Defender of the Year Award
in 2007, the MLS Fair Play Award
in 2007 and 2008 and was also twice named the MLS Humanitarian of the Year in 2006 and 2008.
side Nordsjælland
on December 9, 2008, as a free agent. March 1, 2009, Parkhurst made his FCN league debut in a 1-1 away draw against Vejle
.
2009-10
season, with the arrival of Andreas Bjelland
and injury to Henrik Kildentoft
, Parkhurst was inserted in to a variety of new positions, including full back and centre midfielder, becoming adapt at playing at right back. Parkhurst would help the Wild Tigers to win the Danish Cup
, the club's first silverware in their history, and his first trophy in Denmark
.
The following season, Parkhurst was hampered by numerous injury set backs throughout the campaign, eventually losing his place to Jores Okore
. He would make his return in time for Nordsjælland's Danish Cup
final, winning the cup with a 3-2 victory over F.C. Midtjylland
, lifting the trophy for the second consecutive year.
With less than a year remaining on his contract, there was speculation on Michael Parkhurst's future at FCN at the start of the 2011-12
season, with the emergence of Bjelland and Okore's partnership in central defense, Parkhurst was forced to play out of position, often at right back. Helping the club to their best ever start to a season, ending the winter break in December 2011 at a club record 2nd in the league, Parkhurst put rumors to rest when he signed a one year contract extension with F.C. Nordsjælland, despite financially better offers from other clubs.
passport. He had declared that he would be willing to play for the Irish national team
if his American ambitions never came to fruition. Parkhurst was called up by the United States national team
for the 2007 Gold Cup
, and earned his first cap against Trinidad and Tobago
on June 9, 2007, thus eliminating any further possibility of playing for the Republic of Ireland.
New England Revolution
FC Nordsjælland
United States
Americans
The people of the United States, also known as simply Americans or American people, are the inhabitants or citizens of the United States. The United States is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...
soccer player. He plays primarily as center back for F.C. Nordsjælland
FC Nordsjælland
Football Club Nordsjælland is a professional Danish football team from the North Zealand town of Farum, Denmark. Founded as Farum Boldklub from the merger of the town's two football clubs Farum IK and Stavnsholt BK in 1991, the club changed its name to F.C...
in the Danish Superliga
Danish Superliga
The Danish Superliga is the current Danish football championship tournament, and administered by the Danish Football Association. It is the highest association football league in Denmark and is currently contested by 12 teams each year, with 2 teams to be relegated, which proves to be one of the...
. Parkhurst has amassed 9 caps for the United States men's national team
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
, including a member of two CONCACAF Gold Cup
CONCACAF Gold Cup
The CONCACAF Gold Cup is the main association football competition of the men's national football teams governed by CONCACAF, determining the regional champion of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.The Gold Cup is held every two years and when it does not fall the same year as an...
squads and participated in the 2008 Summer Olympics
Football at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Men's tournament
The men's association football tournament at the 2008 Summer Olympics was held in Beijing and four other cities in the People's Republic of China from 7 August to 23 August. Associations affiliated with FIFA were invited to enter their men's U-23 teams in regional qualifying competitions, from...
.
Youth and college
Parkhurst attended the Bradenton Soccer AcademyIMG Academies
IMG Academies is a world-class training facility for athletic, academic and personal development. For more than 30 years, the Academy's training methods have helped youth, adult, collegiate and professional athletes improve in sport and life...
in Florida. He played college soccer
College soccer
College soccer is a term used to describe association football played by teams who are operated by colleges and universities as opposed to a professional league operated for exclusively financial purposes...
at Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University is a private, coeducational university in the U.S. state of North Carolina, founded in 1834. The university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina, the state capital. The Reynolda Campus, the university's main campus, is...
for the Demon Deacons
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Originally, Wake Forest's athletic teams were known as the Fighting Baptists, due to its association with the Baptist Convention...
from 2002 to 2004, where he started all sixty-two games the team played during his tenure, scoring one goal and registering two assists. Parkhurst was named a second-team All-American as a sophomore and junior and graduated from the university with a degree in history. He then signed a Generation adidas
Generation adidas
Generation adidas is a joint venture between Major League Soccer and U.S. Soccer aimed at raising the level of young soccer talent in the United States. The program, sponsored by adidas, encourages early entry of American players into MLS...
contract with MLS following the 2004 season.
New England Revolution
Parkhurst, who grew up in Rhode Island and played for CLCF Soccer and Bayside United, was in attendance at the inauguaral home game for the New England RevolutionNew England Revolution
The New England Revolution is an American professional association football club based in Foxborough, Massachusetts which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada...
, in 1996. Nine years later, on January 14, 2005, he was selected ninth overall in the 2005 MLS SuperDraft
2005 MLS SuperDraft
The 2005 MLS SuperDraft, held in Baltimore, Maryland on January 14, 2005, was the sixth incarnation of the annual Major League Soccer SuperDraft. Expansion club Real Salt Lake had the first pick as the result of a coin toss . RSL drafted Under-17 midfielder Nikolas Besagno with the first selection...
by his hometown Revolution. He was ever-present for the Revs in his first season and was named MLS Rookie of the Year
MLS Rookie of the Year Award
In the United States, Major League Soccer has handed out a Rookie of the Year Award since its inception in 1996. MLS, as opposed to other American sports leagues like Major League Baseball, only designates a player as a rookie if the player has had no prior professional experience...
.
He scored his first career MLS goal on October 20, 2007, in a 2–2 draw between the Revolution and Toronto FC
Toronto FC
Toronto FC is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto, Ontario which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada....
. The goal was scored from sixty yards out, having caught Toronto's keeper Kenny Stamatopoulos
Kenny Stamatopoulos
Kyriakos "Kenny" Stamatopoulos is a Greek-Canadian soccer goalkeeper, currently play for AIK.-Sweden:...
off-guard.
Parkhurst won the MLS Defender of the Year Award
MLS Defender of the Year Award
In the United States, Major League Soccer has handed out a Defender of the Year award since its inception in 1996. Here is a list of the past winners:Past winners:...
in 2007, the MLS Fair Play Award
MLS Fair Play Award
The MLS Fair Play Award, also known as the Xbox 360 Fair Play Award, is an annual award in Major League Soccer. The award is given to an individual player and a team who receives a low number of yellow cards and red cards...
in 2007 and 2008 and was also twice named the MLS Humanitarian of the Year in 2006 and 2008.
F.C. Nordsjælland
After his contract with the Revolution expired after the 2008 season, Parkhurst signed a 3 year contract with Danish SuperligaDanish Superliga
The Danish Superliga is the current Danish football championship tournament, and administered by the Danish Football Association. It is the highest association football league in Denmark and is currently contested by 12 teams each year, with 2 teams to be relegated, which proves to be one of the...
side Nordsjælland
FC Nordsjælland
Football Club Nordsjælland is a professional Danish football team from the North Zealand town of Farum, Denmark. Founded as Farum Boldklub from the merger of the town's two football clubs Farum IK and Stavnsholt BK in 1991, the club changed its name to F.C...
on December 9, 2008, as a free agent. March 1, 2009, Parkhurst made his FCN league debut in a 1-1 away draw against Vejle
Vejle Boldklub
Vejle Boldklub is a Danish football club with proud traditions from the town of Vejle. The club has won the Danish championship five times and the Danish cup title six times....
.
2009-10
2009–10 Danish Superliga
The 2009–10 Danish Superliga season was the 20th season of the Danish Superliga league championship, which determinates the winners of the Danish football championship. It is governed by the Danish Football Association. The tournament started on 18 July 2009 and concluded on 16 May 2010.The Danish...
season, with the arrival of Andreas Bjelland
Andreas Bjelland
Andreas Bjelland is a Danish footballer. He plays at centre back for F.C. Nordsjælland in the Danish Superliga and he will join FC Twente in the summer of 2012...
and injury to Henrik Kildentoft
Henrik Kildentoft
Henrik Kildentoft is a Danish footballer. He plays at right back for F.C. Nordsjælland in the Danish Superliga. Kildentoft has amassed a total 47 youth caps for Denmark under four different age groups, he is yet to earn a senior cap....
, Parkhurst was inserted in to a variety of new positions, including full back and centre midfielder, becoming adapt at playing at right back. Parkhurst would help the Wild Tigers to win the Danish Cup
2009–10 Danish Cup
-Second round:The clubs who placed 5–10 in the 2008–09 Superliga – Randers, AGF, AaB, Nordsjælland, Esbjerg, SønderjyskE – as well as the top two clubs from the 2008–09 First Division – Herfølge, who was merged with another club to form Køge for the 2009–10 season, and Silkeborg – received a bye into...
, the club's first silverware in their history, and his first trophy in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
.
The following season, Parkhurst was hampered by numerous injury set backs throughout the campaign, eventually losing his place to Jores Okore
Jores Okore
Jores Okore is an Ivory Coast-born Danish footballer. He plays at centre back for F.C. Nordsjælland in the Danish Superliga...
. He would make his return in time for Nordsjælland's Danish Cup
2010–11 Danish Cup
The 2010–11 Danish Cup is the 55th season of the Danish football cup competition. For the third year, the sponsor of the competition was Ekstra Bladet, a daily newspaper, who signed a 3-year contract with the Danish Football Association in 2008, making the official name Ekstra Bladet Cup...
final, winning the cup with a 3-2 victory over F.C. Midtjylland
FC Midtjylland
FC Midtjylland is a professional Danish football team from Herning and Ikast. The team is a result of a merger between Ikast FS and Herning Fremad...
, lifting the trophy for the second consecutive year.
With less than a year remaining on his contract, there was speculation on Michael Parkhurst's future at FCN at the start of the 2011-12
2011–12 Danish Superliga
The 2011–12 Danish Superliga season is the 22nd season of the Danish Superliga, which decides the Danish football championship. The season began on with OB, the previous season's silver medallists playing the cup winners of FC Nordsjælland. It will conclude on with six simultaneous matches...
season, with the emergence of Bjelland and Okore's partnership in central defense, Parkhurst was forced to play out of position, often at right back. Helping the club to their best ever start to a season, ending the winter break in December 2011 at a club record 2nd in the league, Parkhurst put rumors to rest when he signed a one year contract extension with F.C. Nordsjælland, despite financially better offers from other clubs.
International career
Parkhurst is an Irish-American and thus holds an IrishRepublic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
passport. He had declared that he would be willing to play for the Irish national team
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
if his American ambitions never came to fruition. Parkhurst was called up by the United States national team
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
for the 2007 Gold Cup
2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup
The 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the ninth edition of the Gold Cup, the football championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean , and was won by the United States over Mexico. It was contested in the United States from June 6 to June 24, 2007.This competition was the third...
, and earned his first cap against Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago national football team
The Trinidad and Tobago national football team, nicknamed The Soca Warriors, is the national team of Trinidad and Tobago and is run by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation. It reached the first round of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Finals...
on June 9, 2007, thus eliminating any further possibility of playing for the Republic of Ireland.
Club
New England Revolution
- Lamar Hunt U.S. Open CupLamar Hunt U.S. Open CupThe Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is a knockout tournament in American soccer. The tournament is the oldest ongoing American soccer competition and is presently open to all United States Soccer Federation affiliated teams, from amateur adult club teams to the professional clubs of Major League...
(1): 20072007 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup-Schedule:Note: Scorelines use the standard U.S. convention of placing the home team on the right-hand side of box scores.-First round:-----Second round:-----Third round:...
FC Nordsjælland
- Danish CupDanish CupThe Danish Cup is the official "knockout" cup competition in Danish football, run by the Danish Football Association. The cup has been contested annually since 1955...
(2): 2009-10, 2010-11
International
United States
- CONCACAF Gold CupCONCACAF Gold CupThe CONCACAF Gold Cup is the main association football competition of the men's national football teams governed by CONCACAF, determining the regional champion of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.The Gold Cup is held every two years and when it does not fall the same year as an...
(1): 20072007 CONCACAF Gold CupThe 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the ninth edition of the Gold Cup, the football championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean , and was won by the United States over Mexico. It was contested in the United States from June 6 to June 24, 2007.This competition was the third...
Individual
- MLS Rookie of the YearMLS Rookie of the Year AwardIn the United States, Major League Soccer has handed out a Rookie of the Year Award since its inception in 1996. MLS, as opposed to other American sports leagues like Major League Baseball, only designates a player as a rookie if the player has had no prior professional experience...
: 2005Major League Soccer 2005 seasonThe 2005 Major League Soccer season was the tenth season of MLS, which began on April 2, 2005, and concluded on November 13, 2005 with a second MLS Cup victory for the Los Angeles Galaxy.-Changes from 2004 Season:... - MLS Humanitarian of the Year MLS Humanitarian of the Year AwardThe MLS Humanitarian of the Year Award, also known as the MLS W.O.R.K.S Humanitarian of the Year Award, is given to a Major League Soccer player who exemplifies both skill on the field and service within the community...
: 2006Major League Soccer 2006 seasonThe 2006 Major League Soccer season was the 11th season in league history. It began on April 1, 2006 and ended with MLS Cup 2006 on November 12, 2006 at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas for the second consecutive year in a row.-Changes from 2005 Season:... - MLS Defender of the YearMLS Defender of the Year AwardIn the United States, Major League Soccer has handed out a Defender of the Year award since its inception in 1996. Here is a list of the past winners:Past winners:...
: 2007 - MLS Best XIMLS Best XIThe MLS Best XI is an acknowledgement of the best eleven players in the league in a given season for Major League Soccer in Canada and the United States.-Winners:*Players in bold text also won the Major League Soccer MVP Award award for that season....
: 2007