Alongside Bürki, Long Island native Tim Parker was named Vice Captain
ST. LOUIS (February 20, 2023) – Head Coach Bradley Carnell announced former Swiss National team and current St. Louis CITY SC goalkeeper Roman Bürki as the team’s first captain. MLS veteran Tim Parker was named the team’s Vice Captain to serve alongside Bürki.
“We have a solid core in our leadership council, but Roman stood out,” said head coach Bradley Carnell. “His vast experiences at the highest level and how he has carried himself since he has arrived made him a stand out candidate. Having Roman and Tim as Captain and Vice Captain will be good for our team in terms of communication on and off the field.”
Bürki arrived in St. Louis on July 1, 2022 after seven years with one of the top Bundesliga clubs, Borussia Dortmund. The Swiss goalkeeper took over the number one spot from Dortmund’s legendary goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller before the 2015-16 season. He went on to amass 176 matches and 60 clean sheets in Bundesliga play and 33 matches with 12 clean sheets in UEFA Champions League during his time at Dortmund.
Bürki was born in Münsingen, Switzerland, and played for BSC Young Boys, one of the most successful Swiss football clubs, before joining FC Thun in 2009 and Schaffhausen in 2010. The following season, he joined fellow Swiss Super League club Grasshopper Club Zürich on loan and after his impressive performances was signed permanently by the club. In 2013, he helped the club to their 19th Swiss Cup championship, after beating defending champions FC Basel in a penalty shootout.
For country, Bürki represented the Switzerland National Team at various levels, making a total of 30 appearances. He most recently made two starts in two international friendlies ahead of the 2018 World Cup. Burki backed up Yann Sommer during the 2018 World Cup when Switzerland made it through the Group Stage to the Quarterfinals.
Parker, 29, has been a constant at the back line for when he started in Vancouver, New York and Houston. At Houston, the Long Island native was named captain in 2021 and started in 60 of the 62 matches he appeared in the last two seasons. Parker helped anchor a Dynamo backline to nine clean sheets in the regular season during his Houston tenure. Prior to Houston, Parker spent three seasons with New York, including a 2018 season that featured a Supporters’ Shield and a Concacaf Champions League semifinal appearance. The Long Island native returned to the New York-Metro Area following a trade at the beginning of the 2018 season that brought him back from Vancouver in a swap with Felipe.
After joining New York in March of 2018, Parker played 38 of the possible 44 matches in 2018. He helped anchor a Red Bulls backline to 17 clean sheets, while contributing two goals and two assists across all competitions. He also earned his first career USMNT cap and start during the June FIFA International window. In three seasons as a Red Bull, Parker accrued 95 matches played with 8,117 minutes across all competitions. He anchored a Red Bulls backline to 32 clean sheets among all four major competitions in the U.S. Offensively, the St. John’s University graduate tallied three goals and three assists, two of which came in MLS Cup Playoffs play.
