Union striker prospect Nelson Pierre earns a promotion to MLS at age 17

The 17-year-old from Harrisburg is the first striker prospect to rise all the way from the Union's academy to the big leagues.

Nelson Pierre (center) playing for the Union against Pachuca last September.Read morePhiladelphia Union

by Jonathan Tannenwald

Published Feb. 21, 2023, 3:06 p.m. ET

The Union promoted 17-year-old academy-bred striker prospect Nelson Pierre to the first team on Tuesday.

There have been hints for a while that it could happen, starting with Pierre’s appearance last September in an exhibition game against Mexico’s Pachuca. The game was during a FIFA national team period and coincided with a Union reserve team playoff game, and the organization decided to give Pierre a shot with the big squad.

Last winter, Pierre was the first player signed to a pro contract after the Union moved its reserve team into the new MLS Next Pro league. Born in Lebanon, Pa., and raised in Harrisburg, Pierre joined the Union’s academy at 9 years old. He played 20 reserve team games last year, including seven starts, and scored five goals.

“We have watched Nelson grow from a standout in our academy into an active, productive, high-ceiling striker on our Philadelphia Union II squad,” Union sporting director Ernst Tanner said in a statement. “He has always been an intelligent and mobile attacker, and we believe he has the all the attributes needed to grow into a player capable of contributing goals at the MLS level.”

It’s the first time the Union have brought a striker prospect all the way through the academy to the pros, after developing many big-time midfielders and defenders so far.

“He’s got unteachable and uncoachable pace,” Union reserve team coach Marlon LeBlanc told The Inquirer last September. “He’s one of the fastest, probably, two or three players in the club, whether it’s a first-team guy or all the way through the academy. But now he’s running off the ball better than he ever has.”