NYCFCs Keaton Parks thought he might never play soccer again before unprecedented return as key piece

Keaton Parks admits the thought that he may never again get to take the pitch crossed his mind as he recovered from surgery to address a blood flow issue in his right leg.For the New York City FC midfielder, it was the third time he’d had a procedure done to address the issue, and doctors have told Parks that “there’s nobody in sport that’s had three of the same surgery.” But after missing all but 14 matches last season, Parks has returned to the pitch for NYCFC, coming off the bench in the season opener against the LA Galaxy and starting on the road in Philadelphia.Parks played all 90 minutes in NYCFC’s 2-1 win over the Union, which was delivered thanks to a game-winning goal in stoppage time by Tayvon Gray.As for Parks, his focus has been on simply controlling what he can control and letting the chips fall where they may with everything else.“I absolutely had thoughts like that, which I think was the toughest part of all this, was whether I would be able to come back from this third surgery,” Parks said before crediting the club’s performance staff and his doctors for helping him through the recovery.“I still have doubts some days that I’ll be able to do this for as long as I want to, and we’ll just see where it goes, but it’s for now out of my control.

I’m doing everything I can to stay healthy and to continue to be healthy.And if it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out.”Parks, 28, had undergone his first surgery in early November of 2021 to have a blood clot removed from his popliteal artery in his lower right leg and then had the same surgery done less than a year later during the summer of 2022.The midfielder had trudged through the preseason and the first 14 games of the 2025 season dealing with a foot injury that turned out to be a blood flow issue — still getting off to a standout start with a goal and two assists.While Parks feels confident, the longevity of his career could be impacted.

Due to the unique nature of hi...