Parks and recreation in Lisbon: Keaton at NYCFC (on loan from Benfica)

Discussion in 'Yanks Abroad' started by Dave Marino-Nachison, Sep 24, 2015.

  1. largegarlic

    largegarlic Member+

    Jul 2, 2007
    #3726 largegarlic, Nov 21, 2019
    Last edited: Nov 21, 2019
    I'd be happy to be wrong, but my bet on Parks is that he's not good enough to make it at Benfica. He looked pretty decent with NYC in the back half of the season, but he wasn't really dominant in MLS the way guys who go on to be successful with high-level Euro teams tend to be.
     
  2. IndividualEleven

    Mar 16, 2006
    Thought Parks put up some very good run of play numbers--ints, recoveries, clearances, tackles, etc.--the kind that one would expect from a successful box-to-box mid.
     
  3. LouisianaViking07/09

    Aug 15, 2009
    I'll never understand the advantages of clubs loaning players to foreign leagues especially those completely different than the one they're in.

    Like loaning from a Premier League club to the Ukrainian league or Serie A. Wouldn't it be more benefiical to loan to a Championship club? That style far more akin to the Premier League no?
     
  4. IndividualEleven

    Mar 16, 2006
    Relationships. Parks played for Torrent.
     
  5. Thundering165

    Thundering165 Member+

    North Carolina FC
    United States
    May 1, 2017
    Raleigh
    It's definitely possible he will get a shot in the A team. The manager Bruno Lage worked with him closely before he was promoted to the A team, but Keaton's greatest success actually came under Lage's predecessor at B. I think another loan is likely and I personally hope it's not to MLS.

    Benfica have a massive loan network and plenty offer a step up without quite being Benfica level. SerBenfiquista posters threw out a few suggestions:

    - West Brom or Nottingham Forest: Both highly ranked Championship squads. Forest probably needs more midfield help, but also already have a loanee from Benfica in Alfa Semedo. I've seen Semedo play and he is a physical threat but lacks ball skills.

    - Vitoria SC (or other NOS clubs): Vitoria SC plays in Europe but probably will be eliminated. They have a wonderful crest and a good kit too. They're sitting 5th, which is underperforming, but due to the rise of Famalicao they need to beat out a bigger club to get back to Europe. He could make an impact there.

    - Serie A: I think Keaton would be a good fit in Serie A, on the right team. He'd be pretty easy to watch on ESPN+ so that would be my preference.Benfica players have ended up on Genoa in the past, and Fiorentina may want him for the American market. I'm sure they'd love him in Lazio, for all the wrong reasons.

    There's plenty of places he could end up as well that Benfica has a relationship with; Espanyol, for example.
     
  6. zlatan_but_a_car

    Botswana Meat Commission FC
    United States
    Oct 16, 2017
    I think The Championship or Serie A are very serious possibilities. I believe Benfica has maxed out their loans to other Portuguese sides (this limit went in place last season because Benfica, Porto, and Sporting owned way too many players in the starting XI of other Liga NOS teams), and La Liga has a strict 2 non-EU player limit. In particular, Benfica has been loaning a lot of players to Championship teams recently.

    I also wouldn't rule out a Ligue 1 loan, Monaco has been a team that was tracking Keaton since his first trials in Europe.

    Also, here's something to keep an eye on while we ponder Keaton's future:



    Dome really praised Keaton after he won his starting spot at NYC.
     
  7. ArsenalMetro

    ArsenalMetro Member+

    United States
    Aug 5, 2008
    Chicago, IL
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    I don't. Serie A has a strict limit on non-EU signings from abroad, and Parks isn't getting anywhere near a UK work permit.
     
  8. Thundering165

    Thundering165 Member+

    North Carolina FC
    United States
    May 1, 2017
    Raleigh
    Fair point. So if you rule out Portugal, Italy, and England.. what's left? The Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany would be good landing spots but I don't know that Benfica has strong networks there.

    There's always MLS.
     
  9. zlatan_but_a_car

    Botswana Meat Commission FC
    United States
    Oct 16, 2017
    Whoa, reading about it now, and it's not quite as strict as Spain's (which is just a plain limit of 2) but it's almost more confusing than England's... it's weird and confusing because if you're a big club you can use other smaller club's foreign player slots by essentially laundering a player through another club?

    *cough* France

    Also, IDK if Keaton's playstyle fits in Germany. Netherlands or Belgium could be good landing spots. One of the top-tier teams in like Austria or Denmark wouldn't be awful either (a Keaton x Marsch collab perhaps?).
     
  10. kruck

    kruck Member+

    Jan 12, 2008
    Houston, TX
    Club:
    SV Werder Bremen
    France has non-eu foreign player limits as well.
     
  11. ArsenalMetro

    ArsenalMetro Member+

    United States
    Aug 5, 2008
    Chicago, IL
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Pretty much.

    I'm not sure if Italy still has player co-ownership, but that made it even worse.
     
  12. Suyuntuy

    Suyuntuy Member+

    Jul 16, 2007
    Vancouver, Canada
    Putting my ear to the ground I can't hear any interest in him anywhere in Europe, so far.
     
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  13. Sufjan Guzan

    Sufjan Guzan Member+

    Feb 13, 2016
    For anyone who didn't pick up on the Lazio reference, it has to do with their history of the supporter group being fascist.

    Keaton is well, a tall blonde, light eyed guy.
     
    LouisianaViking07/09 repped this.
  14. Suyuntuy

    Suyuntuy Member+

    Jul 16, 2007
    Vancouver, Canada
    Nazi-o, Leeds, Zenit, Cottbus, Beitar, and their latest addition, NYCFC.
     
  15. zlatan_but_a_car

    Botswana Meat Commission FC
    United States
    Oct 16, 2017
    They're a little more lax I think, like a max of 5 or 6 with only 4 on the pitch in any given match?
     
  16. LouisianaViking07/09

    Aug 15, 2009
    How many Lazio players or fans happen to be tall, blonde and blue eyed?
     
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  17. Pl@ymaker

    Pl@ymaker Member+

    Feb 8, 2010
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Lazio is a good team. We'd be lucky to have a player playing regularly for them.
     
  18. comoesa

    comoesa Member+

    Aug 13, 2010
    Christen Press's armpit
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I get what you are saying but I hope all of our talented players of African descent actively avoid Serie A. As others have said the fairer skinned Keaton would not have to deal with that aspect of playing in Serie A.
     
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  19. Pl@ymaker

    Pl@ymaker Member+

    Feb 8, 2010
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Why? There are plenty of Africans playing in Serie A.
     
  20. LouisianaViking07/09

    Aug 15, 2009
    For the $$, not because it's a utopia of tolerance and understanding.
     
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  21. Pl@ymaker

    Pl@ymaker Member+

    Feb 8, 2010
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Guess I never noticed.
     
  22. LouisianaViking07/09

    Aug 15, 2009
    I'm sure they have. But you bring up a curious point if perhaps rising incidents of racism toward Black players might cause some form of exit to other leagues?
     
  23. Pl@ymaker

    Pl@ymaker Member+

    Feb 8, 2010
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    No idea. I'd like to see some examples of discrimination in Serie A. @Eighteen Alpha Were you aware of this problem?
     
  24. Eighteen Alpha

    Eighteen Alpha Member+

    Aug 17, 2016
    Club:
    Stoke City FC
    Segunda Liga in Spain.
     
  25. Eighteen Alpha

    Eighteen Alpha Member+

    Aug 17, 2016
    Club:
    Stoke City FC
    Not as bad as Central and Eastern Europe, but it exists. Verona, which was 20 minutes from me, has some particularly nasty fans, as Balotelli just learned. And whatever existed when I lived there (2011 - 2013) I understand has gotten worse. What is concerning is that the FIGC (Italian Federation) doesn't seem to want to do much about it.
    On the other hand, you have to wonder how much of these monkey calls, etc. are more related to fans trying to unsettle an opponent than actual fascist movements. You don't, for example, see fans heckling their own minority players to such an extent - especially if they can ball.
     

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