Amid Kai Wagner and Quinn Sullivan’s returns, Neil Pierre stole the show in the Union’s win

When Kai Wagner was introduced in the Union’s starting lineup on Wednesday, the roar was so loud that it drowned out public address announcer Kevin Casey. When Quinn Sullivan jogged up the sideline to finally return to the field in the second half, the buzz in the stands was real and wholesome.

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But neither of them ended up as the biggest name in the 3-1 win over Red Bull New York, just the Union’s second league win of the season (2-10-4, 10 points). It wasn’t even interim manager Ryan Richter, who earned a victory in his debut on the first-team bench in the first game back from the MLS World Cup break.

Neil Pierre, the prized centerback prospect, played 34 minutes as a second-half substitute after Japhet Sery Larsen felt some hamstring tightness, and finally showed he’s ready for the big leagues.

It was only Pierre’s second game with the first team. His first was when he was thrown to the lions in last year’s infamous 7-0 blowout loss in Vancouver. This time, he was at home, and got to take the field in the 56th minute with the game tied 1-1. Mere seconds later, he leapt at a Wagner corner kick service to slam in a header that put the Union ahead.

“I kind of knew when Kai came back, I told him we’re going to score a lot of goals, we’re going to have a lot of moments,” Pierre said. “And then as soon as I ran up to the ball, I was like, there’s no way. My eyes got a little big — luckily, I scored it.”

But between the game’s momentum and the Union’s fragile psyche, it was far from certain the lead would hold. So it mattered that while his defensive stats totaled just two clearances and one recovery, he helped see out the win.

“I knew, even if I started or came in the game, the team’s confidence in me to play,” Pierre said, reflecting the endorsements Richter and sporting director Jon Scheer have given him lately.

“I’ve come up through the academy, so it’s kind of a dream coming to these games,” Pierre said. “To come on the pitch was obviously an honor, and then to score was like, wow, what a dream.”

Perhaps if someone else had finished that play, Wagner’s return would be the feature item here. But Pierre’s arrival has been anticipated for some time, and this felt like it, even as he also put an almost-comical miss off the crossbar from right underneath it. (Asked how many teammates gave him grief for that, Pierre cracked a smile and said, “Every single one.”)

“I think he made another step forward,” Wagner said. “I think it really helped him to grow as a person, as a player, in Europe a little bit, even as it was probably a lower league. But I think we know that we can throw him in now. Today was a good test for him, a good start, solid start for him.”

At just 18 years old, Pierre has a wide range of tools in his 6-foot-7 frame, including sublime passing skill for a centerback. But as he rose through the Union’s academy and reserve squad, the key question was how he’d handle the physicality of the top flight.

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New York didn’t have the kind of old brute who will really stick an elbow in your chest with a veteran’s savvy. But Pierre will face that eventually.

It’s the main reason the Union sent him on a six-month loan to Danish club Lyngby, in which the Union have an ownership stake. Even though Lyngby played in the second tier last season, it’s still a more physical circuit than MLS Next Pro, and Pierre helped the club earn promotion before returning to Chester.

There was also the mental side of going somewhere else for the first time, after a childhood in Harrisburg and now having his family in Media.

“I noticed a lot, especially me growing up, finally being by myself away from home for six months,” Pierre said. “I think it made me really sit with myself and think about certain things I wouldn’t think about being home. And obviously, as a player, it made me more mature on the ball.”

The cherry on top Wednesday was seeing Pierre join a game with many intriguing young Americans on the field. The matchup was hyped as one U.S. national team fans could watch to see players who might contend for the 2030 World Cup squad, and it delivered: Cavan and Quinn Sullivan, Frankie Westfield, Pierre, and New York’s Julian Hall, Adri Mehmeti, and Justin Che.

“I think it kind of showed where MLS is going,” Pierre said. “Trusting the players and showing that yeah, it doesn’t matter your age. I think if you come through the programs and trust the process, you’ll end up playing in MLS and hopefully then going to Europe or whatever it is.”

When will Pierre play next? It depends in part on how bad Larsen’s hamstring tweak is, with the Seattle Sounders coming to Subaru Park on Saturday (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). Then there’s an Aug. 1 home game against Atlanta United.

An interesting test could come in next month’s Leagues Cup games. Though the tournament understandably still isn’t of much interest to fans, the Union have group stage home games against three Mexican clubs — including former Union striker Julián Carranza’s Necaxa. Those will be interesting tactical tests for Pierre.

For now, it’s a good step that he looked the part in this game. With Olwethu Makhanya away for personal reasons amid transfer rumors, if Larsen is out for any extended time there’s now some proof that Pierre can step in.

“I believe in him,” said Richter, who had his own rise from coaching in the Union’s academy to the reserves to now. “I’ve worked with him since he was 11 years old, and I have seen him progress in every stage of this. I’ve seen him be successful as an academy player, I’ve seen him be the defender of the year in MLS Next Pro, I watched his games when he went on loan and saw him be successful there and work and fight his way into the team there, and now it’s no surprise to see him come in and be ready for this next step.”

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