Three young Union prospects had a game to remember against Eintracht Frankfurt

The crowd at the Union’s 2-2 tie with Germany’s Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday certainly got its money’s worth.

Union fans enjoyed Chris Donovan’s highlight-reel goal, in which he ran around Eintracht goalkeeper Jens Grahl on a breakaway. Followers of the world’s game saw Frankfurt’s Elye Wahi, one of the sport’s rising stars, justify the hype with a pinpoint finish for a team that will play in the Champions League this season.

And everyone got to cheer for Paxten Aaronson in his homecoming to Subaru Park, during pregame warmups and when he played the second half.

There was also a significant moment for the team’s future, and fans who care about that knew it when they saw it. Amid the many preplanned substitutions that always happen in exhibition friendlies, a trio of the Union’s top young prospects entered together in the 66th minute: 17-year-old centerback Neil Pierre and 19-year-old forwards Eddy Davis III and Sal Olivas.

It was 2-1 Eintracht at that point, five minutes after Wahi’s goal, and the presumption was that the important parts of the game were done. That turned out to be untrue, because now the teens were worth watching.

Davis launched Donovan’s run with a nice little chip over Frankfurt’s high-pressing back line. Though the usual slate of stats wasn’t officially kept, Olivas was lively, and since Eintracht didn’t score while Pierre was on the field, that’s a plus in his column.

» READ MORE: Bruno Damiani and Chris Donovan help the Union earn a 2-2 tie with Germany’s Eintracht Frankfurt

All of that added up to a taste of the big-time for the trio, and a chance for them to see what their futures will hold if things go right.

“I’d say it’s a dream come true,” Davis said. “Both of us want to end up playing for a team like that one day, so to see that we were able to compete and actually make an impact in the game was something awesome to see.”

Olivas was just turning 8 years old in El Paso, Texas, when two of Eintracht’s veterans were headliners at the 2014 World Cup. Timothy Chandler played for the U.S., and Mario Götze scored Germany’s title-winning goal in the final. Now here he was playing creditably against them and other stars.

“It was exciting playing against those big guys,” Olivas said. “Obviously, I’ve watched those guys since I was a little kid, so it was exciting to be on the same field as them and playing against them. I enjoyed it, and it’s a good experience for all of us.”

» READ MORE: Eintracht Frankfurt wants to help make Germany again be the top destination for American players going abroad

Olivas and Davis have already made their official first-team debuts this year, with Olivas getting three appearances so far. Pierre hasn’t yet, but his time will come soon enough. He’s been on the bench seven times, and might have made it into one of the U.S. Open Cup games in May if not for a knee injury.

Friendlies don’t officially count in the ledger, but they do in the players’ memories, and that’s enough for now.

“For me personally, it was a great experience,” Pierre said. “Of course, playing against a Champions League side, it’s an opportunity you don’t get a lot. And I think the whole staff and players trusting us to put us in the game, I think is a very big thing.”

Manager Bradley Carnell endorsed the trio’s performances and their potential.

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“It’s fun watching these guys grow,” he said. “It’s one step at a time, and today was another step closer. ... When you skip the moment, then we get exposed; when you’re really on dial, within the principles and really connected as a group and really compact, then everybody gets a chance to shine.”

The proof of what’s possible was not just the Union’s play, but on the other side of the field. All the kids in the Union’s youth academy know Aaronson is a shining example of what they can become, so talented in his time here that Eintracht paid $4 million at the end of 2022 for a player who wasn’t fully proven yet.

“Obviously, the fans love to see him, and it just shows how good our atmosphere is on and off the pitch,” Olivas said. “And yeah, it gives a lot of young players a lot of hope, dreaming big.”

Pierre knows it especially well, because his older brother Nelson came through the academy ranks around the same time. So the younger sibling was watching when Aaronson earned his breakthrough, only to not play as much as he could have on a veteran-laden squad.

» READ MORE: Brenden and Paxten Aaronson still root for the Union, and want them to win a big trophy

“It’s been ups and downs for him, and even when he came into the first team, it was him playing second team [most of the time] and then eventually him getting his chance,” Pierre said. “And then him proving his ability, and then eventually getting where all of us want to get to. So it’s definitely a road map to follow.”

It’s a lesson in patience, and that’s always a hard lesson for any teen to learn — especially those with serious talent in the world’s biggest sport. So it’s to the players’ great credit that they all showed they get it.

“Just stay patient and work hard day in and day out with Union II [the reserve team],” Davis said. “Just helping get our confidence up, and then just do well in training with the first team. Just stay patient is the main thing right now.”

Pierre’s track matters a little more right now because the Union have only two healthy centerbacks. Until Ian Glavinovich returns from a meniscus tear — and who knows when that will be — Jakob Glesnes and Olwethu Makhanya are it, with versatile outside back Nathan Harriel the backup option.

» READ MORE: Eintracht Frankfurt ‘would love to have the Eagles’ the next time the NFL goes to Germany

It’s easier to throw 17-year-olds at other positions into the deep end than it is at centerback. Pierre has an outstanding tool set in his 6-foot-5 frame, especially his passing game, but sending him up against much older veteran strikers is a big ask. There are Charles Oakleys in every sport, to borrow from another round ball, and you know it when their elbows land in your chest.

Still, there is no doubt Pierre’s time will come, and perhaps a game like this will make it come a little sooner.

“Staying patient and keeping your head down is a very important thing,” Pierre said. “You’re going to have ups and downs. You’re not going to play, you’re going to play. It’s about staying focused and knowing you’re capable and your time will come and having faith in that.”