2018 Medina grad Isaiah Parente signs with Columbus Crew

COLUMBUS — Isaiah Parente can't wait to come home when Major League Soccer kicks off the 2021 season. The 2018 Medina graduate signed his first professional contract this week as a homegrown player with defending champion Columbus. A club may sign a player to a contract without subjecting him to the MLS SuperDraft if the player has been a member of that club's youth academy at least one year and has met the necessary training and retention requirements. Parente, 20, met those requirements. A former member of the U-19 Crew Academy, Parente spent three years going from Medina to Columbus for training sessions. "It holds a special place in your heart," he said. "It just feels so right and so true to be in the black and gold. What Columbus has given me at such a young age until now is tremendous. I still have a lot of sacrifices and heart to give to them. It just feels so good to be playing for a team that values you. It's where I want to be and where my heart is at." A center midfielder, Parente is no slouch. He registered three goals and 19 assists in 50 games for Wake Forest from 2018-20. As a member of the Crew Academy from 2015-18, he made 68 appearances and scored 16 goals. That familiarity with the squad will do nothing but help as he heads to Columbus for good. "I have a lot to learn still because it's going to be a whole different dynamic in terms of being a professional now," Parente said. "I know most of the guys very well just from having opportunities to train with them throughout the summers and the academy. I know the staff pretty well. My U-19 year, (assistant coach) Ben Cross was my coach. Now, he's a first-team coach. "The connection between him and (head coach) Caleb Porter being around this area, all the time I used to spend watching him coach at Akron helps me get a better understanding as well." Parente's familiarity with Porter should help, as Parente used to spend many evenings watching the Zips. Porter coached Akron from 2006-12, and current coach Jared Embick is a disciple of Porter, so the style of play Columbus plays won't be foreign to Parente. If anything, it should give him an advantage as he gets used to the pace of play at the professional level. "It helps give another dynamic," Parente said. "You can play different styles because different games require them, but I think just seeing the way he coaches and seeing him on the sideline helps to get a feel at what the coach prefers. When you're going on the field, you know the kind of game he wants and it helps translate to your performance." The competition should be fierce in a position group that consists of Artur, Darlington Nagbe, Sebastian Berhalter and Aidan Morris. Parente is excited to be that proverbial sponge as he dissects the play of each player and takes some of their dynamics into his own game. The quicker he can implement those abilities and techniques, the quicker he'll adapt. The opportunity to play for the defending champion Crew has Parente amped to join the team as well. While many a rookie comes in wide-eyed, Parente knows exactly what is expected of him. "I don't think it's daunting at all," he said. "It's everyday habits. You work hard every day to be the champion, right? Every time you step on the field, you play to win. There's no time to rest. When you get to the top, there's always people coming for you. You always have that target on your back. The minute you settle is when teams start to get results against your club. "You know people are coming for you. Now, it's how can you improve even more and re-establish a culture that's already great. Those are the teams that last a lifetime. Those are the cultures that last for many more years to come. That's what I'm up for. That's what I'm ready for." Contact Brad Bournival at bournival929@gmail.com.