Podcast: Michael Parkhurst on bringing professional soccer to Rhode Island

Michael Parkhurst joined the latest episode of 'The Goal' podcast. (Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images)

The latest guest on New England Soccer Journal’s “The Goal” podcast is former professional soccer star and Rhode Island native Michael Parkhurst.

Parkhurst is the co-founder of Rhode Island FC, a new professional club that will begin competing in the USL Championship in 2024. The club will play its home matches at a beautiful new stadium at Tidewater Landing in Pawtucket, and is hoping to create a top-notch soccer experience in Parkhurst’s home state.

Parkhurst, who starred for the New England Revolution during a decorated MLS career that saw him win Rookie of the Year and Defender of the Year, joined host Matt Langone to discuss the club, the importance of bringing professional soccer to Rhode Island and the long term vision for the team.

The full podcast can be accessed below and is available on all major platforms. If you enjoy it, please leave a rating and a review.

Here are some highlights from our discussion with Parkhurst:

On why Rhode Island is right for pro soccer:

Parkhurst: “(Co-founder) Brett Johnson had the vision. He knew that when you look at statistics of soccer ratings for big matches — U.S. National Team, Premier League, big games — you consistently see Providence in the top 10. We’ve got Division 1 soccer programs all over the state. We’re a melting pot of a state as well. And we know that soccer is the world’s game. It’s the fastest-growing game in the U.S. So, it just made sense that the market is there and now it’s up to us to make sure that we take advantage of that, make sure everyone feels welcome.”

On creating the team’s crest:

Parkhurst: “We had a bunch of listening sessions throughout the state, trying to figure out what do people react to in a name, what would they want to see in a name — if they call it soccer, if they call it football, colors. There’s obviously a lot of support in the state for certain soccer teams, so with that comes colors that people like and also colors people don’t like from national teams and club teams that they don’t like. Combined with that, we wanted to make sure that we had something that was unique to us, that when you turn on a TV and you see a USL game, you say ‘oh, that’s Rhode Island’ right away.”

On why he wanted to be involved with Rhode Island FC:

Parkhurst: “I do some mentoring with youth athletes, so that was keeping me involved (in soccer) and I really enjoy that. But when this opportunity arose and I heard about the project in Rhode Island, it just made total sense. Wow, this is such an awesome opportunity for me to be involved and make sure that all the kids growing up in Rhode Island today have have those dreams and aspirations that I did when I was little, now with a local team that they can hopefully be a part of one day or work for one day, and have these players out there in communities being role models and connecting with kids.”

On the club’s home stadium:

Parkhurst: “Yeah, 10,500-seat stadium right there on the waterfront in Pawtucket. That is Phase 1, just the stadium. There’s a couple other phases that will include a live, work and play type area, which will be amazing for before and after the games, and even for people living and working. It’s going to be an awesome atmosphere and we want to make sure that it’s the state’s living room, that everyone feels welcome in our area, and we know that sport in general is one of the biggest uniters of people in the entire world.”

On the USL Championship:

Parkhurst: “It’s unbelievable the amount of growth in USL over the last decade. I know that MLS has grown significantly as well. But USL is a little bit lesser known. And when I started playing for the Revs, it was bare bones to say the least — the USL. We’ve got a league full of stadiums, soccer-specific stadiums for USL Championship teams popping up all around the country that are between 8,000 and 15,000 seat stadiums that are connecting with  communities, that are bringing people in, and having a really good product on the field.”

The Goal” podcast is brought to you by the New England Revolution and Soccerheads New England.

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