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

how are things going for Benfica so far this season?

 

It's early days, but on paper Benfica looks to have a good squad. Kinda shocked they lost to Porto at home.

On paper the central midfield looks stacked, but Gedson, Gabriel, and now Chiquinho are all out with serious knee injuries (Gedson should be back late-fall while the other two probably won't be back until 2020). On the other hand, Adel Taarabt played his way back onto Benfica's bench and Samaris just re-upped through 2023, so they remain pretty deep. Tough to say what happens when Keaton's time with NYCFC is up, but I cannot imagine that they want him returning to Benfica B.

I bet NYCFC would be interested in keeping him, but I also bet that Benfica wants at least $2m, which is more than most MLS teams want to pay for a player like Keaton (iirc, there is no option to buy in this loan). It's worth mentioning that he's marketing himself very well... he's constantly involved in NYCFC events off the pitch and appears to be popular with the fan-base. Could be a good investment for them.

 

Also, I think Benfica is limited to 4 domestic loans, all of which are taken... so Keaton cannot go another Primeria Liga club in January unless Benfica recalls one of the other players.

 

Not called into the u23 camp. NYCFC might've turned down the callup due to their schedule: camps runs from September 1-10 and NYCFC play on the 31st, 7th, and 11th.

Also, a small dumb note: Keaton changed his Twitter branding to support the MLSPA's new social media push, which seems odd for a player on-loan with no option to buy

#NewProfilePic #IAmTheMLSPA @MLSPA pic.twitter.com/C71xNFK9w3

— Keaton Parks (@keaton_parks) August 30, 2019

 

he will still be around in december when they redo the cba, i think

 

IMO the real issue with Parks isn't simple = easy, it's simple = safe. He moves and recycles the ball well, but I haven't seen him play the killer pass through the lines very often, if at all. To be honest, he doesn't seem to be looking to do that either.

Maybe it's not in his repertoire, which is OK - who wants someone trying U-17 level "killer passes" against seasoned pros? - but it does set a definite ceiling on his development. Without it, maybe he can play in Portugal's D1 but Benfica, Porto, Sporting and Braga will be a step too far

 

He used to do more often when he was the ACM in his "B" team. Now, he seldom does it. The last time he did was early on in this season when he put a ball over the backline for a breakaway goal.

 

He's hit a couple of great line-breaking passes recently, just none of them have resulted in a goal. In the derby there was one Keaton hit just after half-time to Mitrita, who was almost surprised to receive it... he looked for a cross instead of having a crack.

But I also think he's not supposed to be looking for those passes in Dome's system. From Keaton's post-match comments vs NYRB:

And he is still showing that he can hit those passes. Right now he's averaging 1.6 key passes per 90' in MLS, which is actually more than Ring (1.0 per 90').

 

I missed his last game, but two interesting tidbits from Twitter:

Keaton says that was his first time ever playing centerback in his career

— BLUE BALLS NYCFC (@BlueBallsPod) September 7, 2019

Also asked about whether he has spoken to his agent regarding his future here:
“I’ll dodge (the question)”

— BLUE BALLS NYCFC (@BlueBallsPod) September 7, 2019

 

I didn't get to see the game either and I don't see the game in ESPN+

 

I think it was on Univision

 

I always thought Tab tried him out there in the one U20 camp he was called up to (2017 cycle). Maybe he meant in an actual game though.

 

confused...is keaton not thrilled with nycfc or does he want to stay?

 

apparently totally unclear:

Jokingly https://t.co/zIA3PiUDIQ

— BLUE BALLS NYCFC (@BlueBallsPod) September 8, 2019

FWIW, at Benfica Keaton said something along the lines of "I want to play in Europe for as long as possible and end my career in MLS".

On the other hand, he is doing crazy amounts of Press and community outreach at NYCFC and clearly enjoys playing under Dome. So, honestly, who knows...

 

He's 22, not 16. At that age you learn to be honest with yourself about your own limitations. He wants to play in Europe like I wanted at 22 to marry a supermodel. But, then, well, reality strikes. And it's not all bad, after all, right?

 

Can't imagine anything worse than that.

 

He also worked hard and won a starting spot for the number 1 team in the east (no. 2 overall) while on loan, so who knows his limits? Maybe it's not Benfica, but maybe it is Monaco (uhh... assuming they stay up) or Aston Villa (assuming they go down) or some mid-table club in Italy. Maybe he's in with CFG now and its one of their affiliates like Girona or Breda.

 

I was gonna say there's a ton of options at various levels between NYCFC and Benfica. But you already did so take your rep.

 

It's obvious that Keaton can play at the level required by NYCFC and it's also obvious that Benfica likes value for money and has been burned by letting players go for too little lately. I think it will cost a pretty penny for NYCFC to keep Keaton. Is he worth it?

He's achieved a lot for a kid who was playing high school ball not so long ago. If his dream is in Europe I'm sure there will be opportunities. Benfica is a long shot for sure but you never know.

If he gets released for Olympic qualifying I really feel like he has to be on that roster. He's achieved much more than Mendez/Aaronson/Dotson and I think he brings something they don't with his ability to calmly keep possession and keep the ball moving forward. I think he and Yueill are comparable but have complimentary strengths and weaknesses. I would love to see a Pomykal/Yueill/Parks midfield trio.

 

Pretty good time for @keaton_parks' first @MLS goal ✅ #ForTheCity pic.twitter.com/XIeltLhEdP

— New York City FC (@newyorkcityfc) September 14, 2019

Grabs his first MLS goal, fighting to put a rebound in the back of the net. Basically made the whole play happen.

Kid’s a stud.

 

i hope he leaves nycfc tbh but not sure benfica first team minutes are gonna happen

 

Keaton off and so is this match

 

I'm fairly sure Parks is going to make the U23 roster if he's released at this point, but I'm not sure how he's achieved much more than those guys. I can see Mendez, since he hasn't played real 1st team minutes yet (even at a higher level), but being a rotational starter for NYCFC isn't much different than being a rotational starter for Philly or being a lock starter for MNUFC.

 

If Dotson is a lock starter, then Keaton is too... they've both had 12 starts since winning their spots at the beginning of summer. Keaton's actually played more MLS minutes than Dotson.

 

I don’t think it’ll work out for him unless Gedson or Florentino move this winter. They’re not going to give significant minutes to three midfielders under the age of 23.

Still, he’s a good player and should wind up in a decent spot.