When Michael Parkhurst thinks about how soccer has changed his life, he gets a distant look in his eye – looking past his pro career, his first international cap or Champions League appearance – back to the early days of recreation league soccer back in Cranston, Rhode Island.
“The real fun memories probably started when I was 7, playing indoor soccer,” Parkhurst says. “I loved indoor, it was just action-packed and fast. I always remembered when it turned to spring season when we went outside I thought, ‘Man, this field is huge I never get to touch the ball.’ That was back when I was a goal scorer so that was a lot of fun.”
His mellow monotone cracks into a laugh as he talks about his early days as an attacker, that’s because he’s made his name on the other side of the field as one of the most reliable defenders in Major League Soccer. And it all started right there at home.
“I was fortunate because I was drafted to my hometown team, the Revolution, out of college and so I got to play in front of my friends and family for the first four years. I learned a lot. We had a lot of good veteran guys who played for a long time and guys who I could look up to. So I was fortunate.”
Parkhurst – or Parky, as he’s known to his teammates – quickly caught the eye of Danish club Nordsjælland who signed him after leading his side to three straight MLS Cup Finals. In Denmark, for the first time in his life, he faced the challenge of not being an automatic starter.
“That was difficult. That’s also when you grow the most and you realize that you have to work harder and do things that you haven’t done before.”
To be more specific, Parkhurst had never played on the wing before, but it was the move to the unfamiliar position of right back that changed the course of his career.
“That eventually led me back to the national team, then we won the Danish league and played in the Champions League. So it all worked out and was meant to be, but there were some challenging times there where I was upset, thinking it wasn’t my fault."
"But you need to look in the mirror first and foremost. When I was able to do that, I was then able to get better.”
After a two-year stint in the Bundesliga, Parky made his return to Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew, where he became captain and turned the club into an MLS Cup finalist, only to fall just short in the final game, again. But he says he came back to a different league than the one he left, both off the field and off.
“I think the biggest change on the field is the level of play, but also the gameday environment. Environments like Seattle, Kansas City, Portland and now Atlanta, they were just so few and far between back then. Now we get it on a Wednesday night in Atlanta."
"It’s just a crazy change, and it’s awesome to be a part of.”
Parkhurst’s career finally took him to Atlanta United in December of 2016. And even though he’d experienced clubs around the world first-hand, his first impression of his new club blew him away immediately.
“As a player you just want to be put in a good environment, one that you can succeed in. The ownership obviously cares a lot about the team. The way that Atlanta conducts itself on the field, off the field, the front office, the fans and gameday environment."
"It’s quickly become a place where players say, ‘yeah I want to play in Atlanta.’”
Parkhurst’s leadership caught the eye of the coaches right away and was named the team’s first-ever captain. He takes pride in bringing veteran guidance to a group of players – and staff for that matter – that had never ventured through MLS before. But while he points out the importance of that leadership, he’s most excited about what he calls a “refreshing naiveté.”
“I think this is probably the most talented team I’ve ever played on, and there’s just a level of blindness to some difficulties of the league."
"They don’t care if we’re playing home and away, the guys are just eager and hungry. The way we go after teams no matter what is just something this league hasn’t seen."
Now it’s on to unfinished business for Parkhurst. After four times falling short in the final, an MLS Cup is up for grabs again as Atlanta United head into the playoffs in their inaugural season.
“Our team just has a lot of energy and fearlessness to just go after it. I don’t think anyone wants to play us in the playoffs for that reason."
"That’s why I say experience isn’t the end-all be-all, because as helpful as it is, this team is more than capable with just a couple of us having playoff experience on the team."
But no matter what happens this year, Parky is confident this club is in good hands for years to come.
“I know that expansion teams often get that first-year boost where it’s new and exciting and they have that energy and then maybe there’s a tail-off, but it just doesn’t seem like that’s going to be the case."
"So as the league grows and Atlanta continues to go along with the league, I don’t see why this wouldn’t be one of the best clubs to play for, for a very, very long time.”
© 2026 Atlanta United FC
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