TUKWILA, Wash. – Midfielder Irvin Parra may have grown up just a short flight south of Seattle, but his soccer style was bred somewhere else entirely.
Prior to signing with Seattle Sounders FC 2 on Aug. 4, Parra had spent his previous four seasons in Germany playing for a trio of clubs that compete in the Regionalliga Südwest, Germany’s fourth division league.
After a training session last Tuesday, Parra spoke to the media about his experience in Germany and the effect it has had on his style of play.
“It was tough…the level out there is just amazing,” said Parra, who originally hails from Inglewood, Calif. “I adapted to that game, you know, that technical, fast [game], speed and agility-wise.”
Parra first suited up for FC 08 Homburg in 2012 and 2013, recording three starts in his first professional season in fourth tier German soccer. He then moved to SVN Zweibrücken, where he put in his most prolific season, starting 28 of 30 appearances and scoring six goals as the club finished second in the league.
Parra finished his German career with FC Kaiserslautern II in 2016, recording 27 appearances and two goals in two seasons with the club.
“It’s somewhere you can grow not just as a player but as a person as well,” Parra told reporters. “I loved it but I just decided that I’d prefer to come back to the United States and feel welcome and at home.”
Now with S2, Parra has one start under his belt and is hungry for more as his team tries to claw its way into playoff contention.
