Union promote leading midfield prospect CJ Olney to their first team

The Union brought CJ Olney, one of their top teenage prospects, up to the first team on Tuesday with his first MLS contract.

It was always a matter of when, not if, for the 17-year-old central midfielder. His first team debut last month came on a short-term deal, and he’s already hit the limit for short-term call-ups from the reserve squad.

As such, the Union were required to sign Olney to a first-team contract in order to have him on a game-day squad again. But he’s been ticketed for this level for a while anyway, and since the Union have room on the roster, they went ahead with the move.

Olney, of Hillsborough, N.J., will probably get most of his playing time the rest of this year with the reserves, where he has eight goals and 16 assists in 39 career games. But he should be with the first team plenty next year, especially if the roster is overhauled this winter as expected. His contract is guaranteed through 2028, with a team-held option year for 2029.

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“With his speed and agility, combined with advanced technique, he has been a different type of player for Union II,” Union sporting director Ernst Tanner said in a statement. “At just 17 years old, he has a great future. His creativity and ability to facilitate goals will add a difference piece to our midfield as we look to continue to bolster our roster in the coming weeks.”

That bolstering is expected to include 24-year-old Haitian midfielder Danley Jean Jacques, currently of French second-division club Metz. The deal isn’t done yet, but Metz’s manager has already said publicly that Jean Jacques is on the way out.

Jean Jacques has been with Metz, the club where the Union found Jamiro Monteiro five years ago, since 2022. He has played 10 times for Haiti’s national team, including at the 2023 Gold Cup where he scored against Mexico.