Photo courtesy Philadelphia Union II Communications
As of the close of the primary transfer window Monday, May 12th, the Philadelphia Union organization had two contracted players playing elsewhere on loan. That remains the case in mid-June.
- From the first team, Nelson Pierre is on loan to Vancouver Whitecaps 2 of MLS NEXT Pro.
- From the second team, Jose Riasco is on loan to Carabobo FC of the Venezuelan Premier division.
Their game statistics contrast each other. They play at markedly different levels of quality. Pierre is in U. S. Soccer’s Division 3 but Riasco is in Venezuela’s highest, LigaFUTVE Banco de Venezuela. All comparisons must keep that difference in mind.
- Pierre has started 13 of 13 matches, played 1153 of 1170 minutes, and scored 10 goals.
- Riasco has dressed 18 of 20 times but played 42 minutes plus one stoppage time appearance with neither a start nor a goal to his credit.
Jose Riasco
Riasco is trying break into a side that finished second in Venezuela’s 2025 Apertura (only on goal difference), becoming the top seed in the second group of four that played a double round robin to qualify for the Apertura Championship Final. They failed to make that championship final.
Riasco’s team, Carabobo, also, finished fourth of four in its group in South America’s premier club tournament, the Copa Libertadores. Their 2025 Apertura finish has already qualified them for next year’s Copa Libertadores first stage.
A second team contracted player who could not break into Philadelphia’s first team is trying to break into the first division in his home country.
Nelson Pierre
By contrast, Pierre has been a constant in Vancouver Whitecaps 2’s soccer universe. He has started every game and has played almost every minute. He leads MLS NEXT Pro in shots taken with 49, is first in the league in goals scored with 10, and is first in shots on target with 23. At the time of the loan’s announcement at the very end of February, he said on social media that his purpose in Vancouver would be to get himself noticed. He is putting up numbers that should do so.
A first team contracted player who could not break into Philadelphia’s first or second team has won a major role in Vancouver’s second team and is trying to attract further attention.
A detail is that Pierre’s jersey and list references now include his middle initial “G.”, we assume to differential his labelling from his brother Neil’s.
Appendix: The raw data
2025 Keystone Sports Loan aways. (Typos are intentional.)
| Nelson G. Pierre | VancouverWhitecaps II (MLSNext Pro) | Jose Riasco | Carabobo FC(Liga FUTVE) | |||||
| Date | Opponent | Start | Mins | Date | Opponent | Start | Mins | |
| 2/08 | Puert Cbello | Not in Squad | ||||||
| 2/15 | Yaracuyanos | No | 10 | |||||
| 2/23 | Metropoltnos | Dress DNP | ||||||
| 3/02 | Zamora FC | Dress DNP | ||||||
| 3/09 | LAFC II | YesG | 80 | 3/08 | Monagas SC | Not in Squad | ||
| 3/14 | No. Texas | YesG | 90 | 3/15 | Unvrsd Cntrl | No | Stpge | |
| 3/29 | Timbers 2 | YesG | 90 | 3/28 | Ray Zuliana | Dress DNP | ||
| 4/06 | Tacoma | Yes | 90 | — | BLANK | — | ||
| 4/19 | Austin II | YesG | 90 | 4/08 | Botafogo | Dress DNP | ||
| 4/23 | Houston 2 | Yes | 90 | 4/13 | Anzoategui | Dress DNP | ||
| 4/27 | LA Galxy II | YesGG | 90 | 4/17 | Dp L Guaira | Dress DNP | ||
| 5/03 | RealMnrch | Yes | 90 | 4/22 | Unvrsd Chl | Dress DNP | ||
| 5/09 | Timbers 2 | Yes | 90 | 4/27 | Dp Tachira | Dress DNP | ||
| 5/14 | Tacoma | YesGG | 83 | 5/02 | Metropoltnos | Dress DNP | ||
| 5/18 | LAGalxy II | Yes | 90 | 5/06 | Botafogo | Dress DNP | ||
| 5/28 | Minnesota | YesGG | 90 | 5/10 | Puert Cbello | Dress DNP | ||
| 6/08 | Town | Ppd – squad illness | 5/13 | Unvrsd Chl | Dress DNP | |||
| 6/12 | LAFC2 | Yes | 90 | 5/17 | Dep Tachira | Dress DNP | ||
| 5/27 | Estudiantes | Dress DNP | ||||||
| 6/01 | Puert Cbello | No | 17 | |||||
| 6/07 | Metropoltnos | No | 15 | |||||
| END Apertura, Cpa Librtadors | ||||||||
The chart’s typos are deliberate to improve the layout.
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