FOXBOROUGH, MA– Minutes into his New England Revolution II debut, defender Pierre Cayet proved that he belonged in New England. Since that day to remember in May of 2021, his whirlwind journey of leaving his hometown of Brette-les-Pins, France became worth it.
Pierre was born on July 7th, 1999, to parents Beatrice Lesourd and Arnaud Cayet in Le Mans, France. He grew up in Brette-les-Pins, France along with his older sister, and began playing soccer at the early age of 4.
“I started playing soccer at 4 years old in my hometown back then, but yeah it was really natural for me back then — as soon as I was born, I really wanted to play football and was really playing around with it. My dad played soccer as well, nothing professional or anything but gave me that desire to play —- Back in middle school, everyone plays soccer, and it came naturally, and my parents supported me and pushed me to be my best for me to enjoy it and that’s what it’s all about.”
When discussing certain role models growing up Pierre cited Zinedine Zidane, Sergio Ramos & Thiago Silva as players that he looked up to growing up.
“In the 2006 final of the World Cup, I grew up watching Zinedine Zidane when he was the best player in the world. When I started growing up a little more, I started looking into the more Sergio Ramos, Thiago Silva of that era who inspired me as a defender.”
Pierre’s personal goals and dedication to the beautiful game led to his involvement with soccer at a higher level. In 2014, Pierre joined the Angers Sporting Club de l’Ouest, simply known as Angers SCO. He played in the academy ranks for Angers from 2014 – 2018 and played 11 career games for the Championnat National 3 reserve side (commonly referred to as National 3) which is the fifth tier of the French football league system.
“It was much more technical back in France. — every day at practice there’s at least 30-40 minutes dedicated to technical abilities, drills whether its juggling, the simple things that necessarily aren’t done in the US, especially when you’re young you need that base, that strong base that makes you a better soccer player later. That’s something that’s typical in a youth soccer program in France in comparison to the physicality that is shown in the US. — As far as I’m concerned, the gap is really closing as younger guys in the academy is the US are getting better and better and it’s similar to what I saw in France.”
Image Courtesy of Angers Sporting Club de l’Ouest
Following his time with Angers SCO, Pierre left France in 2018 to pursue his collegiate career at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
“My first time in the US was during New Years Eve in 2018. The hardest thing when transitioning to the US was the language and I passed the English exam, but I did not pass with a high enough score to be accepted right into the University, so for 2 months from June 2018 to mid-August 2018, I completed an English intensive program to get back to where I should be to be able attend the school.”
Following his acceptance to Temple, Pierre played 3 seasons with the Owls, including a shortened season due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. He made 47 appearances, scoring 5 goals & tallying 2 assists. In his debut season for the Owls, he was named Temple’s Defensive MVP. In 2019 he earned Second Team All-AAC and Third Team All-Region honors. During the 2019 season, Cayet also appeared for USL League Two side Long Island Rough Riders where he made 6 appearances for the team. In 2020, Cayet earned All-AAC First Team honors and was the unanimous AAC Defensive Player of the Year. He was named captain of the team during his Junior and Senior seasons.
Following his time at Temple University, Pierre was without a club and was searching for options to continue his professional journey.
“Following my time at Temple, my intentions were clear as from the beginning I wanted to play in the US and being able to develop my career here because outside of soccer I told everyone who asked that the lifestyle here fits me, and I feel comfortable, and I wouldn’t trade that for anything.”
Image Courtesy of Temple Athletics
Through his agent, Pierre found a landing spot in New England.
“I had the option to go to Louisville through my agent, but a couple days before I was going to sign the entire coaching staff was fired and my spot was up in their air and led me to re-think my options and my agent helped me find some options and I picked New England as they had the best project for me based on the connection with the MLS and the city for me led to be the perfect fit.”
On 28 April 2021, Pierre signed his first professional contract with the New England Revolution II of the USL League One. He debuted for the club on 16 May 2021, starting versus Chattanooga Red Wolves in a match that ended in a 2-2 draw.
“It was really interesting as I took the moment all in as I worked my whole life for my first professional game and I got to wear my name on a jersey, I was overwhelmed with emotions and had a desire to play in the game. When I stepped onto the pitch at Gillette Stadium with all of the lights, the first ball was in the air and I could barely see the ball in the 70,000-seat stadium, I thought to myself ‘what’s going on?’.”
Foxboro, MA: Pierre Cayet (Revolution II #44) rises for the header. New England Revolution II defeated Fort Lauderdale CF 1-0 in a USL League One game at Gillette Stadium on May 28, 2021. (c) Burt Granofsky / Protagonist Soccer
Since his debut match, Pierre has appeared in 43 matches, 39 of those matches being starts. With this, Pierre’s record in New England stands 18W-18L-7D. This record brings his entire club career record to 24W-20L-10D, meaning that when Pierre plays, his team holds a 53.07%-win percentage.
“I’ve never heard of the statistic before but the percentage and wins and losses is funny that you say that. My goal when coming into the game is to hold a clean sheet and to do a good job as a center back and it’s always good to have the re-assurance that i’m going to put my entire effort out there when i’m out there on the pitch.”
Foxboro, MA: Pierre Cayet (Revolution II #44) celebrates with his teammates after scoring the opening goal. New England Revolution II defeated Fort Lauderdale CF 1-0 in a USL League One game at Gillette Stadium on May 28, 2021. (c) Burt Granofsky / Protagonist Soccer
Pierre learned a few weeks following the 2022 season that he was to be invited to the 2023 MLS Preseason with the first team. Head Coach Bruce Arena and Technical Director Curt Onalfo initiated the move.
“They asked me to play left center back, left back, sometimes the six, and it kind of came out perfectly for me to be able to get those reps with them so that I could get experience going into the season with Revs II.”
Foxboro, MA: Pierre Cayet (Revolution II #44) rises for the header over Shaan Hundal (Fort Lauderdale #10). New England Revolution II defeated Fort Lauderdale CF 1-0 in a USL League One game at Gillette Stadium on May 28, 2021. (c) Burt Granofsky / Protagonist Soccer
Pierre ended up playing 58 minutes of reported time with the first team in 5 matches and it helped bridge the gap between the first and second teams for tendencies, and he felt grateful to participate for both teams and practice with better players and hopes to expand his knowledge with the younger players.
“I think that preseason went well. Though I wished to play more to show more what I am about, but I was grateful to be there in the first place. I do see myself signing with the first team… When? I’m not entirely sure, but I plan on playing the hardest I can and being the best version of myself so that I can improve playing with the team and I just need to be patient so that it can happen.”.
FOXBOROUGH, MA – JUNE 18: Pierre Cayet #44 of New England Revolution II brings the ball forward during a game between Rochester New York FC and New England Revolution II at Gillette Stadium on June 18, 2022 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Andrew Katsampes/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
When discussing players to look out for, Pierre stated that “Đorđe, Dave Romney, and Carles stood out as players that were consistent and were a pain for anyone to play against.” He also stated that a player to look out for Jordan Adebayo-Smith on Revs II as he has the potential to be top scorer in the league.
The New England Revolution are set to open their MLS season on February 25th as the team travels away to Charlotte, NC to take on Charlotte FC. New England Revolution II open their MLS Next Pro season debut in one month.
