Isaiah Parker, who is coming off a highly successful freshman campaign at Saint Louis University, was taken by FC Dallas with the third overall pick in the first round of Tuesday’s 2022 Major League Soccer SuperDraft.
As one of the top young players in the country, Parker was signed to a Generation adidas deal with MLS prior to the draft. He is the first Billiken to go in the first round since Tim Ward was the 12th overall pick by the New York Red Bulls in 2005.
“Isaiah is everything you look for in a young talent,” SLU head coach Kevin Kalish said. “He is coachable, humble, honest and willing to do whatever it takes for the team to have success. Players like Isaiah are extremely rare in today’s game. He is an extremely dynamic left-footed winger who can create goals but is also equally committed on the defensive side of the ball. He also is a 4.0 student. Isaiah has the ability to be special player for this country and we look forward to watching him grow and develop in the years to come.”
Parker was named to Top Drawer Soccer’s first-team Freshman XI team and was rated the No. 2 freshman in the NCAA by Top Drawer Soccer. The A-10 All-Rookie team pick displayed his dynamic play-making ability in his lone year with the Billikens by registering 13 points (3G, 7A). Parker helped the 2021 Billikens to a 16-1-4 record, an undefeated regular season, A-10 regular-season and tournament titles, and an NCAA quarterfinal appearance.
A native of the Chicago suburb of Gurnee, Illinois, Parker played his youth career with FC United and was among the Development Academy’s leading scorers. He also was a state-qualifying wrestler at Warren Township High School.
