On the same day they welcomed their all-time leading scorer back to the club, the Philadelphia Union have also landed Seattle Sounders defender Jeff Parke.
The clubs confirmed Friday that Parke is headed back to his native Pennsylvania in exchange for allocation money and a 2013 first-round Supplemental Draft pick. Parke starred at Drexel University in Philadelphia and grew up and attended high school just outside the city.
The 30-year-old is a veteran of more than 200 matches in MLS and is coming off one of his better seasons with Seattle. Parke woud presumably pair with MLS All-Star and Colombian national team defender Carlos Valdés in the heart of the Union's backline in 2013.
"We would like to thank Jeff for his outstanding contributions to Sounders FC," Sounders owner and general manager Adrian Hanauer said in a statement. "Jeff has been a fantastic pro and valuable to our success as a team. Sometimes family trumps soccer, and in this case, we were able to help Jeff get closer to his family. We wish Jeff well and he will always have a place in Sounders history."
The Union would represent the third MLS club Parke has played for in his career after starting out in New York and moving to Seattle following a brief spell in 2009 in the USL.
Earlier on Friday, the Union held a press conference welcoming forward Sébastien Le Toux back to the fold. The Frenchman scored 25 goals in Philly colors during the 2010 and 2011 seasons.
