When reports first came out on Friday that ºüÀêÊÓƵ City SC was trading fan favorite and defensive linchpin Tim Parker to New England, the player coming the other way in the trade, Henry Kessler, weighed in as well online.
“I’ve always liked arches,†Kessler wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Kessler arrived in ºüÀêÊÓƵ on Saturday, went to his first City SC game on Sunday and practiced with his teammates for the first time on Monday. He also sat down with reporters on Monday and confirmed that what he said is true: He really does like arches.
“I do. I do,†he said, still dripping with sweat after a noontime practice with the team. “I didn’t know too much about ºüÀêÊÓƵ. (The Arch) is something that I knew. I sent the tweet out, it’s true, and it was well received. So I’m happy about that.
“They’re unique shapes. I feel like they’re not like this typical rectangular type figure. I don’t know of another arch like that, so I feel like it’s something really unique to ºüÀêÊÓƵ, and I love being a part of it.â€
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There probably is no better way to endear oneself to people in ºüÀêÊÓƵ than to openly express affection for civic institutions — or gooey butter cake. Kessler faces an extra challenge in that not only is he coming to ºüÀêÊÓƵ from the Boston area, but he’s also been brought in to replace Parker, one of the best loved players in the short history of City SC.
“I heard I have big shoes to fill,†Kessler said. “That’s what I’ve been told. He sounds like a great guy, both for the team and the community, so I’m sure he’ll be missed. But I’m hoping to have an impact like he did.â€
The journey to make that happen has started. Even though Kessler can’t play for City SC until MLS play resumes on Aug. 24 (the Leagues Cup, like most tournaments, prevents a player from appearing for two teams in one competition), he got to ºüÀêÊÓƵ as quickly as he could, the better to integrate himself with the team on and off the field. After growing up in New York City, going to college at Virginia and having a professional career spent entirely with the New England Revolution, Kessler is entering a new world, a new time zone, a new city.
“It’s different,†he said. “I’m still processing it. I found out Friday at 1:30, got on a flight at 5 on Saturday, and training now, went to the game (on Sunday), so I’m still processing everything, but I’ve been really well received. Everyone’s been really kind. So I’m looking forward to being here.â€
It didn’t take long for Kessler to see what he was getting into. Kessler said he was surprised when he was recognized at the airport in street clothes on Saturday. He joined his new teammates for the walk through the fans in Lou Fusz Plaza on the way in to the stadium and was surprised that fans recognized him. He got a nice ovation from fans at halftime of the match with FC Juarez on Sunday.
Kessler may be a new face in ºüÀêÊÓƵ, but he isn’t to the team’s brain trust. Sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel had Kessler on his list of potential center backs when he was first putting together the roster for the team. Kessler probably wouldn’t have been available right now had New England not had a disappointing season, with the worst record in the Eastern Conference, and begun clearing salary cap space for a rebuild.
“It means a lot,†Kessler said. “It’s a team that really believes in me, and I’m happy to be at a team that really believes in me. So that’s fantastic. I talked a lot with Lutz, and he told me I’ve been on his radar for a while, and he was really happy that he could get the deal done, and so was I.â€
Pfannenstiel described Kessler as aggressive when announcing the move, but Kessler went him one better.
“Really aggressive,†he said. “But, not overly so where I don’t want to get beaten behind, protecting the space behind me. Tenacious, I would say, is one of my characteristics and a leader. So those are all things I will bring to the table.â€
Kessler grew up in Manhattan, in the heart of New York City, not a place that lends itself to going outside after school and playing soccer.
“There’s not a lot of field space,†he said, “so they built piers into the Hudson River and the East River to make field space and it was really fun. There’s always a game going on. I would say it’s either the biggest sport in the city or the second biggest behind basketball. There’s always a game, always pickup going on so I really enjoyed it.â€
From there, he went to the University of Virginia, where he played three seasons before being chosen sixth by New England in the 2020 MLS draft and made his MLS debut on Feb. 29 of that year. And after almost five seasons in New England (and playing on artificial turf, which he won’t miss) he now finds himself in ºüÀêÊÓƵ. Where his plans now including going up the Arch.
“Hopefully,†he said. “I didn’t even know you could go to the top until like yesterday. So I’m looking forward to that.â€