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Tim Parker, who wrote his place in City SC history with the club’s first goal and who became a prominent player in the team’s early success and a fan favorite, is moving on, with the team trading him on Friday to New England for center back Henry Kessler, a source confirmed.

The news of a possible trade was first reported by Tom Bogert of GiveMeSport. New England would also receive $600,000 of general allocation money from City SC.

While the club has not announced the move, Parker effectively confirmed it on X, formerly known as Twitter, by writing, “STL, it was fun.�

Kessler did his part, tweeting, “I’ve always liked arches.�

In a separate move announced on Friday, the team acquired Jannes Horn, who plays left back and center back, on loan from Nurnberg in the German second division with an option to purchase him after a year.

Kessler, 26, and was the sixth selection overall in the 2020 MLS draft out of Virginia and has been on City SC’s radar for a while. He was a regular in the starting lineup for New England his first three seasons. He played only nine games last season because of a hamstring injury that kept him out much of the season. He’s played in 15 games this season for New England, which has begun to rebuild its roster after falling to the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. His contract runs through the end of next season, with an option for the following season. His base salary of $1 million is the same as Parker’s, though Parker’s former team, Houston, is picking up part of his salary.

Parker is out of contract after this season and negotiations on a new deal have not made much progress, which no doubt provided impetus for the trade. At 31, Parker was the second-oldest player on the team, behind only goalkeeper Roman Burki and was the team’s vice captain. He was the runner-up in voting for MLS defensive player of the year last season, an unexpected development for a veteran player who had never gotten much consideration before. (He was the leading vote getter among MLS players, but didn’t do as well among MLS coaching staffs.) It was Parker who solidified the team’s defensive line in front of Burki and became a popular player in the community, with a local brewery launching a beer bearing his name, Parker Pilsner. Having played in a similar system with the New York Red Bulls under Bradley Carnell when he was an assistant coach there, Parker was essential in the team learning the system on the field.

City SC acquired Parker in a trade with Houston on the day of the MLS expansion draft in 2022. On a team low in MLS experience, he brought knowledge and familiarity with the league, as well as on- and off-field leadership. His red hair made him easy to find on the field and his genial demeanor made him popular among teammates and fans. (“He’s like a fluffy bear,� one teammate described him.) On Thursday, he was on the practice field, yelling at and exhorting teammates during training at CityPark.

Parker headed in a corner kick in the 24th minute of City SC’s first game, against Austin, for the team’s first goal and made the story even better by then placing a ball under his shirt, his way of announcing that his wife was pregnant with their first child. Rory Parker was born Aug. 26, 2023.

This season has not gone as well for City SC, which sits next to last in the Western Conference standings and has allowed 46 goals, the seventh-most in the league, despite some often stellar play by Burki in goal. A string of injuries has taxed the center back position this season, and led to the team acquiring several players at that position, including two in the summer transfer window, Jake Girdwood-Reich from Australia and, on Friday, Horn, though that deal had been in the works for a while. In addition, the team has promoted two players with center back experience from City2, Michael Wentzel and Jayden Reid.

The team’s other experienced center back, Joakim Nilsson, is out with a recurrence of a hamstring injury and won’t be available to return until likely after the Leagues Cup break. Another center back, Josh Yaro, is the only other player on the team who will be out of contract after the season.

Though Horn, 27, has played center back, the team will be looking at him at left back. His loan runs through next June, and the team has an option to buy him for one more year, with an option for the rest of the 2026 season.

No position has seen more players run through it than left back. Selmir Pidro, the club’s first signing, was expected to be the player there, but he lost out in training camp in City SC’s inaugural season to John Nelson. Nelson lasted about a dozen games before being replaced by Kyle Hiebert, a center back who was moved to that spot. Then the team acquired Anthony Markanich, who had been sitting on the bench in Colorado, and he took over the job.

Pfannenstiel signed Nikolas Dyhr from Denmark in offseason, but he arrived late after waiting for his work visa, and was never able to get Markanich out of his spot and was transferred back to Denmark. Injuries caused the team to call up Jayden Reid from City2, and he has played both center back and left back.

Horn, the team hopes, will be the answer at the position. Prior to joining Nurnberg in 2022, he played with Koln and came up through Wolfsburg’s system.

Horn’s arrival will be delayed until he get the necessary work visa, a process that usually takes several weeks.

City SC plays Mexican club Juarez on Sunday in its second group game in the Leagues Cup.