DOOPing Overseas: Pierre can’t stop scoring, Adeniran sent off in pivotal match

The European soccer season is coming down to the wire, with many former Union players hunting for trophies or trying to secure spots on World Cup rosters. Neil Pierre continued his hot scoring form, and Stuart Findlay and Auston Trusty are battling for Scottish supremacy.

With sustained success this decade, fans have seen some of the brightest academy talents, their favorite players, and outcasts make their way overseas to compete in some of the best leagues in the world. The club is represented in Europe, South America, the Middle East, and more.

Let’s see how some of those former Union players fared in last week’s matches:

Neil Pierre (Lebanon, Pa.) – The on-loan Union center back scored his fourth goal in five games for Lyngby during a 5-0 home win over Esbjerg on Friday. Before scoring his goal, Pierre was involved in Lyngby’s opening goal of the match. Rising highest to meet a corner, the American’s flicked header was saved but fell right to Simon Colyn, who tapped it into the net. In the 34th minute, Pierre would get his goal, being the first to react to a bouncing ball off a corner and bundling it home. Along with his goal, Pierre had eight passes into the final third, four touches in the opposition box and three shots on target. Defensively, the 18-year-old made five interceptions and four clearances, and had one block. In five matches (three starts) for Lyngby, Pierre has four goals on 13 shots in 293 minutes, scoring a goal every 73 minutes. 

Samuel Adeniran – The former Union striker received two yellows and was sent off in LASK’s 1-1 draw at Sturm Graz on Wednesday. In a battle for the top spot in the Austrian Bundesliga, Adeniran’s recklessness in the second half put his team in an extremely difficult spot. With his side already down a man in the 67th minute, Adeniran’s flailing elbow would strike an opponent inadvertently, while he would then trip an attacker just seconds later. Adeniran received two yellow cards in 10 minutes, with his team up a goal but already down a man. The 27-year-old, who has seven goals this season, was suspended for LASK’s 5-1 road win at Hartberg on Sunday. 

Stuart Findlay – The former Union center back played all 90 minutes in Hearts’ thrilling 2-1 comeback victory at Hibernian on Sunday. Findlay, who was starting just his second game since returning from a lengthy hamstring injury, continues to be a massive piece of his side’s backline. With Hibernian down to nine men for most of the second half, the 30-year-old didn’t have much to do. He completed 86 percent of his passes, had 68 touches and created one chance. Defensively, Findlay made three recoveries and won three of his four aerial duels. Hearts would snatch an 85th-minute winner to put them three points clear of Celtic atop the Scottish Premiership table with four games to go. 

Other Notables 

– Brenden Aaronson (Medford, N.J.) played 84 minutes in a midweek draw at Bournemouth and played 86 minutes against Chelsea on Sunday in a 1-0 FA Cup Semifinal loss at Wembley Stadium.

– Mark McKenzie (Bear, Del.) returned from suspension in Toulouse’s 2-2 home draw with Monaco on Saturday.

– Auston Trusty made a whopping 15 clearances in Celtic’s 3-1 win over Falkirk on Saturday. 

– Kai Wagner played all 90 minutes in Birmingham City’s 2-1 home win over Bristol City on Saturday.

What’s Next

– Samuel Adeniran and LASK play Altach in the Austrian Cup Final on Friday, May 1, at 10 a.m. ET. They then host Rapid Wien on Monday, May 4, at 2:30 p.m. ET.

– Brenden Aaronson and Leeds host Burnley on Friday, May 1, at 3 p.m. ET.

– Kai Wagner and Birmingham City travel to Portsmouth for the final game of the EFL Championship season on Saturday, May 2, at 7:30 a.m. ET.

– Auston Trusty and Celtic visit Hibernian on Sunday, May 3, at 7 a.m. ET.

– Neil Pierre and Lyngby host Hillerod on Sunday, May 3, at 10 a.m. ET.

– Mark McKenzie and Toulouse travel to Strasbourg on Sunday, May 3, at 11 a.m. ET.

– Stuart Findlay and Hearts host Rangers in a massive Scottish Premiership match on Monday, May 4, at 12:30 p.m. ET.