Frantzdy Pierrot debuts at World Cup for Hati on field he grew up on

FOXBOROUGH – The name of the pizza place in Melrose escaped Frantzdy Pierrot.

He figured it closed since he left Melrose.

“That pizza, it was banging,” Pierrot said.

The Haiti-born men’s international soccer player recalled his upbringing in Massachusetts after making his World Cup debut in a familiar stadium in Foxboro on Saturday. Pierrott played on the field at Gillette Stadium (branded “Boston Stadium” by FIFA for the World Cup) against the New England Revolution Academy team when he was a member of the Seacoast United Soccer Development Academy. He starred at Melrose High School on the soccer field and basketball court before continuing on to Northeastern.

“Going to school and you take a walk, playing at the field, playing with my friends, everything, traveling,” Pierrot said. “Going to get a pizza. Just the simple things that, sometimes you miss it.”

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His path took him from Boston to Coastal Carolina, the MLS and European leagues. He’s represented his birth nation internationally since 2018. But never like Saturday night in Foxboro. Haiti played its first World Cup game since 1974.

“It’s an honor and pride. We can see that the whole country is proud of us, the whole country is looking at us,” Pierrot said. “We represent them all over the world. It’s an honor to be part of this history.”

Family and friends flooded him with ticket requests.

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But also requests for time. Pierrott currently plays for Çaykur Rizespor in Turkey on loan from AEK Athens in Greece. Between the European schedule and international commitments with Haiti, he doesn’t come to Massachusetts much.

“There’s not much time. I try to spend as much time as I can with my friends. My son is here, I’ve got to spend time with him. I’m trying to do recovery,” Pierrott said. “I’m trying to balance everything. A lot of people want to come see me, I can only see them for two minutes. They want to talk for a long time, and I’ve got a schedule to follow.”

The forward provided many of Haiti’s most dangerous chances in a 1-0 loss against Scotland. He forced a point-blank save in the 35th minute after starting play outside the box. Pierrott also just missed a header with five minutes left that could have equalized the match and salvaged a point.

“They did their homework,” Pierrott said. “Those are the moments I want to do better. It’s little things I need to fix. Step by step. This was the first game.”

Contact Kyle Grabowski at kgrabowski@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @kylegrbwsk.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Frantzdy Pierrot soaks in Haiti World Cup debut at home in Boston