Etienne Jr. — CLUBELEVEN

“I found out I was getting loaned out to Cincinnati through a fan page on Instagram.”

A lot can change in a year. After leaving the Red Bulls in 2019 -- the club that formed him since he was a teenager -- Derrick Etienne Jr. has had quite a rollercoaster ride in the league. In 2020, he scored a goal at MLS Cup and helped the Columbus Crew lift the trophy for the first time in twelve years.

While his gorgeous curled finish in the final was the culmination of a steady three-year ascent in MLS, Derrick’s story really began decades ago in Virginia.

“My dad used to play for the Richmond Kickers, and I used to watch him on TV all the time. But I would also go watch him in person, and he would always pick me up after games and put me on the field. My mom would set a ball down, and I would just dribble down the field. From that moment on, playing in front of people just stuck with me.”

After two seasons with the Richmond Kickers, Derrick’s father -- a decorated Haiti National Team player -- transferred to the Long Island Rough Riders. In New York, Derrick had his first taste of what a championship felt like.

“I was six years old. It’s the game I remember the most from my childhood. My dad was playing in the championship game against the Wilmington Hammerheads, and he scored the game-winner at the very end of the game. He got MVP too. I went into the locker room after the match, and everyone was just having drinks and going crazy.”

With his father and uncle playing for the Haiti National Team, soccer was a constant throughout Derrick’s childhood.

“My dad and my uncle would bring back pictures from their games or from their time with the national team. They would wear the gear all the time too, and they would tell me stories when they would return from international duty. It would always be funny anecdotes, or they would talk about how passionate the fans were. They would tell me how when you stepped on the field, it was like a roar that got your blood pumping. Growing up hearing those stories was huge for me. I wanted to get to experience that.”

“Every decision I made from ten or so was to try to get to be a professional,” remembers Derrick. One of the biggest steps he took to get to the pros was joining the New York Red Bulls Academy U-14 team at the age of 12. From there, Derrick rose through the youth ranks at the club until eventually penning a contract with RBNY II at the end of 2015.

Throughout his time at the Red Bull Academy, Derrick also had the chance to represent Haiti at various international tournaments. He was called up to be a member of the Haiti U-17 team that competed in the 2013 CONCACAF U-17 Championship in Panama and the Haiti U-20 team that played in the 2015 CONCACAF U-20 Championship in Jamaica.

“It was just like my family described. Hearing the party in the stands just sends chills down your spine. And seeing how much we’re able to impact the country is incredible. I was called up to many national team camps when I was younger, and I got to meet some awesome guys. When it came time to choose whether to play for the US or Haiti, it was easy because they showed they cared about me from a young age.”

On top of that, the decision to represent Haiti was also special from a personal standpoint. “My grandfather came to America with $19 in his pocket and couldn't speak a lick of English,” says Derrick. “I just felt an extra sense of pride when I put that jersey on for the first time, and I still do. I understand the huge sacrifice my grandfather made for my family. I know, to this day, he probably gets chills and a lump in his throat when he sees me represent Haiti. It meant a lot to my family and to me to be able to play for them.”

While Derrick was making his name for his national team, he was also taking significant strides for the Red Bulls II in a team stacked with talented young players.

“It was me, Tyler [Adams], Aaron [Long], Florian [Valot], Vince [Bezecourt], Rafi [Diaz], and all these other guys. It was a squad. We all felt that if we played some MLS teams, we would’ve given them a run for their money. It was just showing up on the field and knowing we were going to win the game.”

That year, Derrick and RBNY II cruised to a USL title, and he contributed a goal and an assist in the 5-1 thrashing of Swope Park Rangers in the final. From there, that talented squad of youngsters would begin to earn their spot on the first team in 2017.

That season, Derrick learned the ropes of what it entails to be a pro player in MLS, and he even had the chance to make an appearance in the playoffs. Unfortunately, the Red Bulls fell to the eventual champions Toronto FC. “Even though we got knocked out, it was a good year, personally,” says Derrick. “It was good for me to get myself in there and break into the first team.”

If 2017 was good, 2018 would be even better.

“That next year, we did magic. You had the core of players from the Jesse Marsch era and the core of players from that USL team. Everybody knew what it took to win, and we had great leaders with experience and young guys with talent.”

In 2018, the Red Bulls would end up lifting the Supporters’ Shield with a record-breaking amount of points at the time. It was an outstanding season for the Red Bulls in almost every sense: veterans stepping up, youngsters breaking through, and silverware. That year, Etienne made 30 appearances for the club, nearly doubling his amount of games from the previous season.

Despite all of those positives, the Red Bulls’ record-breaking season did not end with an MLS Cup trophy.

“Unfortunately, we weren’t able to win at the end. That year was incredible, but it’s also the one that hurts the most. I just felt like that was our year. Fans had been waiting for it, and that was the year. But it didn’t happen for us.”

It was a tough pill to swallow for many fans and for the team itself. Still, Derrick continued to push for a consistent starting spot and for as many minutes as possible. At the start of 2019, he appeared in eleven games for the club. But midway through the year, some unexpected news would rock his plans.

“It was a Wednesday, and we had just played Toronto. I even started that game. I was going through my phone after the match and saw the news. I found out I was getting loaned out to Cincinnati through a fan page on Instagram. Soon after, I got a phone call, and that was it. In the end, this is a business, so you can’t really hold grudges. I’m thankful for everything I accomplished with the Red Bulls, and they gave me the opportunity to play pro. But I just wish it had been done a little differently. It hurt to leave like that, especially after playing for the club since I was 12 years old.”

Being loaned out to a team dwelling near the bottom of the standings was disappointing for Derrick. Yet, the chance to get minutes on the field and end the season earlier than usual ended up being a blessing in disguise.

“I’m a firm believer in that God does have a plan. So I had that mentality of, whatever happens, it’s in his hands. I got home earlier than usual, spent my birthday with my family, and just got back on the field to be ready for 2020. I think that set me up well. I went into pre-season with Columbus, and I was really sharp. They liked what they saw and gave me a contract.”

Prior to going to pre-season with Columbus, though, Derrick returned to New York during the winter to figure out his contract situation with the Red Bulls. “I met with them and told them, ‘if you want to pick up my option, I’ll definitely come back and show you why you shouldn’t have loaned me out. But if this is the end of the road, I just want to thank you guys for everything.’”

The Red Bulls did not pick up his option.

At the start of 2020, Derrick signed with the Columbus Crew.

“Going into 2020 with Columbus, I wanted to prove that I deserved to be in this league. I wanted to show everyone that they should have picked me up.”

And what a year it was for Derrick. He made 21 appearances for Columbus, and the remarkable MLS Cup run is one that he’ll never forget.

“It was crazy because we got the Red Bulls for our first game, and it was on the same day that the Red Bulls had chosen not to pick up my option, just one year later on the dot. I remember they got an early goal, and I got worried. But we were able to turn the game around, and I even got an assist on our third goal. I just felt vindicated. It didn’t feel good to knock out the Red Bulls. But it felt good in the sense that they thought I wasn’t good enough for that team, and then I was on the team that knocked them out.”

Two days later, Derrick tested positive for COVID-19 and was forced to sit out. “For the Nashville game, we went to extra time, and I was just pacing all over my living room. Then we made the Eastern Conference Final, and I had to sit at home too. We beat New England, and I was finally cleared to return just in time for MLS Cup.”

Derrick returned to the squad, passed all his fitness tests, and was ready to go. With Darlington Nagbe and Pedro Santos testing positive for COVID-19 days before the grand final, Caleb Porter went up to Derrick to see if he was fit to play.

“There was no way in hell I was gonna say no.”

Porter would end up giving Derrick the nod to start MLS Cup, and with the stage set, he was ready to play in the biggest game of his life.

“I remember standing during the national anthem, just hearing the song, and all I could think about was, ‘Wow, this time last year I didn’t even have a freaking team, and now I’m starting in the final.’”

The whistle blew, and Columbus knocked on Seattle’s door early with a few clear chances. Finally, midway through the first half, Columbus found a breakthrough thanks to a cool finish at the back post by Lucas Zelarayan. With the score at 1-0, it was a perfect scenario for the home side.

Five minutes later, Zelarayan would produce another moment of magic. This time, he picked up the ball at the top of the eighteen, faked a shot, and served the ball to a wide-open Derrick at the other end of the box.

“Cash.”

“That’s all I was thinking when I saw the ball sliding across to me. I just knew I couldn’t miss that chance. I had to bury it. It was the exact finish I had been practicing all offseason. I knew it was going in as soon as it left my foot. But when I saw it hit the net, I had no idea what to do with myself.”

“After everything I went through, it meant a lot. But it was also a thing where there are just so many players that have been through MLS, high-level guys, that haven’t been able to get to an MLS Cup, let alone score in one. It was just mindblowing.”

On top of how special that goal was from a competitive perspective, it also meant a lot to Derrick personally.

“It was the first game that my dad was at during my time in Columbus. My mom was there as well. To score in the final and have my parents in the crowd just meant everything to me. Not everyone is as blessed. That’s just stuff you dream of.”

In the end, the Columbus Crew would end up winning MLS Cup for the second time in their history, and the celebrations were fitting.

“I got into the locker room late, so I missed the champagne. But within ten minutes, everyone who drinks was already feeling it. And the trophy was crazy heavy. I just kept thinking that I didn’t want to be the one to drop it. So I was just playing around with the trophy with a few of the guys, and I turn around, and I see Caleb Porter dancing his heart out like Michael Scott. It was just like that one episode from the Office. I swear that was the most memorable thing from that night.”

The celebrations lasted quite a few days, and after enjoying the accomplishment with the rest of his teammates, Derrick stopped home to see his family.

“I probably didn’t see them until the three days after the final,” says Derrick with a laugh. “But I got home, and my uncle was super happy. He was probably even more hype than my dad, and that’s saying a lot.”

“When I finally went up to my dad, he just said: ‘You’re a chip off the old block… but I got an MVP though.’”

“Maybe I’ll get to one-up him someday.”

Photography by Peter Bonilla.