Neil Pierre could be USMNT answer to a…
FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. — From household watch events for World Cup video games to a U.S. national crew call-up in the span of 10 weeks, Neil Pierre is shifting through milestones at warp velocity.
It takes just one look at the 18-year-old heart back, who stands 6-foot-6 ½ but jokes that he rounds up to 6-foot-7, to perceive why Mauricio Pochettino included him among the group of children called in for the two-week, four-game camp that begins right here at U.S. Soccer’s training heart outdoors Atlanta.
Pierre has a bodily body constructed for profitable duels, and his speedy development over the past six months suggests he’ll attain his potential sooner moderately than later.
“When you talk about Neil Pierre, we saw that, of course, some good things, some things need to improve, but when you compare him with a 30-year-old or 26- or 28-year-old center back [who] maybe is playing in another country or maybe in MLS, I don’t see the difference because one has more experience than another,” Pochettino said. “Both can make a mistake, both can be good. That is why this type of potential, when a player like this guy is playing in MLS, how can we contribute in their career?”
To recap: Pierre signed a first-team deal with the Philadelphia Union just over 18 months in the past, but performed principally for their second crew in MLS Next Pro until a loan transfer to Danish aspect Lyngby in January.
He commonly cracked the beginning 11 for a crew that earned promotion to the Danish Superliga last season, topping in the desk in the nation’s second division — apparently, goalkeeper Diego Kochen, who was also called up for the first time this camp, is on loan at the same membership — and since returning stateside, Pierre has been a pressure.
“I would say that’s a very, very big part of my success this year,” Pierre said of his time on loan. “Being away from home for the first time, seeing a whole different world. It was a good thing. That was like, I would say, my college experience away from college. I think that also translates on the field.”
On a Union crew that hasn’t misplaced in MLS since the league returned from its World Cup hiatus, when it underwent a teaching change, Pierre is a fixture in the lineup and has scored 4 objectives.
Notable as effectively is the Union’s historical past of developing national crew gamers, notably at heart back, as Auston Trusty and Mark McKenzie both began their careers in Philadelphia, as did midfielder Brenden Aaronson, before all three earned strikes to Europe.
Neil Pierre heads a ball over Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting during the second half of the Philadelphia Union’s win over the Red Bulls on Aug. 29, 2026 at Sports Illustrated Stadium. Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
“Obviously strong. Big, big force,” Miles Robinson said of Pierre. “He’s calm on the ball, technical. Just to see him at 18 years old in this game, in this camp, proving himself day by day is something I definitely admire and appreciate.”
As for the U.S. national crew, Pierre is one of the most intriguing prospects at this camp, not only because of his acumen, but because heart back has been a long-standing space of need. Tim Ream, who captained the aspect at the World Cup, will also flip 39 next month and received’t issue into the dialogue for 2030.
Pierre, who will be 22 when the event hits Spain, Portugal and Morocco, ought to. At this early stage, though, there are other issues to take into account first, such as the probability he can be half of the U-23 squad at the Los Angeles Olympics, where contending for gold is a key precedence for the federation.
Neil Pierre dribbles the ball up subject during the Union’s win over the Red
Bulls on Aug. 29, 2026. Smits/Sopa Images/Shutterstock
Or, as soon as proper now, ingratiating himself with Pochettino and incomes his first senior cap.
“Obviously a little nervous coming in here,” Pierre said. “These [are] players I’ve watched coming up a little bit and in the World Cup. I think the expectation they gave me was enjoy, compete and obviously it’s an honor to represent the crest.”
Nervous, but actually not star-struck.
“It’s also a fact that at the end of the day everyone’s here to compete,” Pierre said. “So [the veterans] tell me, good to meet you, but you better show it on the field. They’re telling me just to push through and do what you gotta do. That’s what I get from them.”
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