Philadelphia Union loan Neil Pierre to Lyngby Boldklub

Philadelphia Union center back Neil Pierre is heading to Denmark, joining Lyngby Boldklub of the Danish 1. Division through June 2026, the team announced on Thursday.

Pierre, who turned 18 in October, is the reigning MLS Next Pro Defender of the Year and has long been regarded as one of the Union’s most exciting young prospects. Pierre, a Lebanon, Pa. native, was awarded his first team debut last season, making an appearance off the bench in the Union’s forgettable 7-0 defeat at Vancouver Whitecaps.

While a move to Europe at age 18 was not much of a surprise for Pierre, Lyngby feels like an unlikely destination at first glance. Pierre stands 6-foot-5 at only 18 years old and has previously trained with major European clubs such as Borussia Mönchengladbach and PSV. The Danish 1. Division, the league that Lyngby play in, is actually the second tier of Danish soccer below the Superliga, from which Lyngby were relegated last year. Lyngby, to their credit, currently sit atop the 1. Division.

Pierre’s landing spot is explained by a growing strategic partnership between Lyngby and the Union. The Union’s parent company, Union Sports and Entertainment, purchased a minority stake in Lyngby in 2024. At the time, Union majority owner Jay Sugarman shared his thoughts and motives behind the move.

“We admire Lyngby’s achievements and are sure that we can help each other through knowledge sharing and strategic collaboration… Our process has been driven by a desire to strengthen our club’s core competencies and better utilize the network that Ernst Tanner has established in Europe.”

An example of the “strategic collaboration” the Union set out to achieve with Lyngby was the signing of Sanders Ngabo, a former Lyngby player who came to Philadelphia for a season with Union II but never debuted for the first team before returning to Denmark.

Union head coach Bradley Carnell was asked about Pierre’s move on Thursday, where he explained the Union’s motives behind the partnership with Lyngby. “This is a real push with our cooperation with Lyngby in terms of development. Just closing the gap between… [MLS] Next Pro and MLS, there’s a big mid-station there with Lyngby,” Carnell explained. “It’s European soccer, it’s… different types of challenges faced with every day. It’s new culture, new language, new teammates… if we can get this partnership up and running as another sort of layer to our development cycle, this is going to be so beneficial to us.”

While Lyngby may not be the most attractive option for Pierre, Carnell’s explanation provides some insight behind the decision. It is clear the Union still have plans for Pierre, who is only loaned to Lyngby until the end of the European season. Carnell described this developmental period for Pierre as “closing the gap” between MLS Next Pro, where Pierre was dominant, and MLS, where the coaching staff might feel Pierre is not quite ready to replace Olwethu Makhanya, who had a breakout season in 2025.

Finding a way to get some of the Union’s young stars first team professional game time has been a bit of a challenge for the organization in the last few years, and the decision to move Pierre to Lyngby may represent a change in philosophy. On occasion, the Union have tried to loan players to other MLS clubs with mixed results. Brandan Craig was loaned to Austin FC in 2023 and struggled to see the field, and David Vazquez was loaned to San Diego due to a positional logjam in the team. USL Championship loans have not been reliable either. After Craig’s loan to Austin, he was subsequently loaned to El Paso Locomotive, where he was in and out of the team before he was let go by the Union. CJ Olney was loaned to Lexington SC last season, playing only 4 matches with 1 start before being recalled to the Union only two months later.

Nelson Pierre, Neil Pierre’s older brother, was also loaned to the Nordic region in 2024 when the Union sent him on a full-year loan to Skövde AIK, a club who played in Sweden’s second division at the time. The older Pierre brother failed to find his footing in Sweden, and the Union recalled him in the summer before loaning him back out to Charlotte Independence of USL
League One in the third tier of American club soccer.

Neil Pierre’s loan comes after the permanent transfer of former MLS Defender of the Year Jakob Glesnes to LA Galaxy. Ian Glavinovich’s loan ended, returning him to Newell’s Old Boys and leaving the Union a bit thin in defense. The Union’s current center back depth consists of returnees Makhanya and Nate Harriel, and new signings Japhet Sery Larsen and Finn Sundstrom.

The Union feel that a new test in Europe is the right move for the younger Pierre, giving him a new challenge he has not yet faced in the United States. Furthermore, the Union believe that Lyngby can be an option for other developing players that have thrived in MLS Next Pro but are not quite ready to break into MLS. Pierre’s loan will end during the MLS break for the World Cup. The Union’s first match after Pierre’s loan is a home match against New York Red Bulls on July 22.