Danley Jean Jacques

Danley Jean Jacques (born 20 May 2000) is a Haitian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Major League Soccer club Philadelphia Union and the Haiti national team. He usually plays as a central midfielder or defensive midfielder.

Youth career Pérolas Negras Starting in 2014, Jean Jacques’ youth training was done at Academia de Futebol Pérolas Negras, which started in Port-au-Prince for refugees after the 2009 Haitian earthquake before expanding in 2014 to Brazil for poverty-stricken Brazilians and other refugees. Jean Jacques was part of a Haitian team that trained in Brazil and participated as a guest team in the 2017 Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior U20 Cup.

Club career Don Bosco In August 2017, Jean Jacques joined Don Bosco FC in Ligue Haïtienne. He played sparingly thereafter in the 2017 Closing and 2018 Opening seasons.

Jean Jacques began to play more regularly in the 2018 Closing season, including the playoffs, which saw Don Bosco win the championship.

Jean Jacques and other Haiti League players experienced several season abandonments due to civil unrest (2019 Opening) and COVID (2020 Opening). Jean Jacques finished his Don Bosco stint with 7 goals scored in 52 games.

Metz In August 2021, Jean Jacques completed a successful trial with Metz and started with its reserve team in Championnat National 2, the 4th tier of French football. On 10 September 2021, he made his debut in a 1–0 win against SAS Épinal. For the 2021–22 season, Jean Jacques played 15 games.

On 7 June 2022, he signed a professional contract with Metz keeping him at the club until June 2024 and he was moved to the first team. On 30 July 2022, he made his professional debut with Metz in a 3–0 Ligue 2 win over Amiens. On 12 September 2022 in a 6–3 loss to EA Guingamp, Jean Jacques was given a red card for a tackle that later resulted in a four-game suspension. On 10 March 2023, Jean Jacques signed a contract extension with Metz through 2027. For the 2022–23 season, Metz was promoted to Ligue 1 as Jean Jacques played 31 league games.

Philadelphia Union On 8 August 2024, Jean Jacques was acquired by Philadelphia Union in Major League Soccer for a €1.4 million transfer fee to Metz as well as $100,000 paid to Portland Timbers for his MLS Discovery Rights. He signed a contract through the end of the 2026 season with club options for 2027 and 2028.

International career Jean Jacques has represented Haiti at various age levels, having represented them from the Haiti U17s to the U21s.

Jean Jacques started all three games that Haiti played in the 2017 CONCACAF U-17 Championship in Panama.

U19 Team In May 2018, Jean Jacques played in the 6-team Guadeloupe International Tournament, involving Caribbean and Central American teams. On 21 May 2018, he scored in the final, a 1–1 tie that Costa Rica won 4–3 on penalty kicks.

U20 Team In November 2018, Jean Jacques played in three of Haiti's 2018 CONCACAF U-20 Championship qualifying games.

U21 Team In July 2018, Jean Jacques played in the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games in Colombia. On 21 July 2018, he scored the game-winning goal in a 1–0 win over El Salvador.

U23 Team In July 2019, Jean Jacques was called into the team that won its group in the 1st qualifying round of the 2020 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Championship.

In March 2021, Jean Jacques played in the final round of the 2020 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Championship in Mexico.

National team Jean Jacques was called up to the senior Haiti national team in March 2022 for a friendly against Guatemala; however, he did not play.

On 25 March 2023, Jean Jacques made his national team debut in Haiti's 4–0 win over Montserrat 2023–24 CONCACAF Nations League Group Stage.

On 29 June 2023, he scored his first goal in a 3–1 loss to Mexico in the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

On 15 May 2026, he was included in Haiti head coach Sébastien Migné's 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Career statistics Club

International

Scores and results list Haiti's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Jean Jacques goal.

Mayagüez Athletics Stadium, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico

2024–25 CONCACAF Nations League B

Trinidad Stadium, Oranjestad, Aruba

2024–25 CONCACAF Nations League B

Sumgayit City Stadium, Sumgayit, Azerbaijan

Friendly

Trinidad Stadium, Oranjestad, Aruba

2026 FIFA World Cup qualification

Nicaragua National Football Stadium, Managua, Nicaragua

2026 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours Philadelphia Union Supporters' Shield: 2025