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PATERSON — When Derrick Etienne Jr. steps onto the field for Haiti at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, he will not be walking alone.
Etienne will represent Paterson, the city where his soccer journey began in parks, pickup games, and youth fields long before packed stadiums and international crowds became part of his life.
“I started from playing soccer across the street from my grandmother’s house and down in some grass with my mom and my dad, and now I'm in the World Cup,” said Etienne, whose Haiti team plays its first game Saturday night, June 13 against Scotland at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
“It’s going to be surreal thinking about all the little things that put a smile on my face,” he said.
Story continues below photo gallery
For Etienne, Paterson was more than a hometown. It was the foundation of everything that followed.
“Growing up in Paterson for me was honestly really easy,” Etienne said. “I had a good family who raised me and was known throughout the city, so I was able to keep myself out of trouble.”
Soccer quickly became the center of his world. He played for NASA United, the Paterson-based club where coaches and teammates began to notice a player whose ambition matched his talent.
“Nobody gets that skillful by accident,” said Kenny Callegari, president of NASA United. “He worked his tail off every single day. The ball was at his feet every day. He was hungry. We always saw himself playing at a higher level.”
Etienne’s soccer ambitions started at a young age.
“I knew from a very young age that I wanted to be a professional soccer player,” he said. “So I continued to really focus on that.”
That focus meant sacrifice. Schoolwork, training, travel, and family life all had to fit together.
“You’re not going to be able to hang out with friends all the time. You’re not going to be able to go to parties,” Etienne said when asked what advice he’d give young athletes. “Those are the sacrifices it takes for you to get to where you want to be.”
Callegari saw that discipline firsthand during Etienne’s youth years.
“He was a student of the game,” Callegari said. “He understood what coaches were trying to get out of him. That’s a quality not many kids his age had.”
Paterson’s diversity also shaped Etienne’s development as a player. He grew up playing alongside children from Dominican, Peruvian, and other cultural backgrounds, absorbing different styles of soccer from the city’s immigrant communities.
“Playing with different cultures in Paterson helped because there’s a different style of play between different cultures,” Etienne said. “I had to find my own way to dominate wherever I went.”
From NASA United, Etienne moved into the New York Red Bulls Academy, beginning a professional path that eventually took him through MLS clubs including the Red Bulls, Columbus Crew, FC Cincinnati, Atlanta United, and Toronto FC.
Along the way, he learned from elite coaches and international teammates, experiences he says prepared him for the World Cup stage.
Still, even after years in professional soccer, Paterson remained central to his identity.
“Paterson has showed me so much love,” he said. “That’s a main reason why I represent Jersey and Paterson so much.”
This summer, Paterson plans to return that love. Hinchliffe Stadium will host a World Cup watch party for Haiti’s group-stage match against Brazil, and Etienne will be honored as one of the city’s own. That match will be on June 19 in Philadelphia.
“It’s surreal, honestly,” Etienne said. “I just wanted to play soccer. I wanted to score goals and win trophies. The recognition off the field was something I never really thought about.”
For many in Paterson, Etienne’s achievement is historic. Callegari called him “probably the first person from Paterson to play in the World Cup.”
“He’s one of us and he made it,” Callegari said. “Nobody epitomizes that dream as much as Derrick.”
Etienne’s impact extends beyond soccer clubs. He attended Passaic County Technical Institute (PCTI), where school officials say his journey has become an example for current students.
“When students see someone who sat in the same classrooms and walked the same hallways achieve success, it helps connect the dots,” said Fernando Colon, communications and special projects manager at PCTI. “It shows them what’s possible.”
Colon said representation matters, especially for students from immigrant and underserved communities.
“It’s one thing for someone to tell you what success looks like,” Colon said. “It’s another when they look like you and come from a similar background and can say, ‘I did it, and you can do it too.’”
For Etienne, representing Haiti carries a deeply personal meaning. His father, Derrick Etienne Sr., also played for Haiti, but Etienne said his father never pressured him to follow the same path.
“My father has always been my biggest mentor and role model. He understood the dream I wanted to live. From his playing days, he really wasn’t worried about his legacy,” Etienne said. “He wanted me to carve out my own legacy.”
That freedom, combined with constant guidance, helped shape the player he became.
“He gave me the platform and the blueprint,” Etienne said. “He made sure I was put in the right environments all the time and was locked in!”
This is only the second time Haiti has qualified for the World Cup. The first was in 1974, long before Etienne was born. Now, as Haiti prepares for a difficult World Cup group featuring Brazil, Morocco, and Scotland, Etienne says the team embraces its underdog status.
“We have nothing to lose, which is a good space to be in,” he said. “If there’s nothing to lose, you have everything to gain.”
And while the world will see Haiti facing soccer giants, Paterson will see something else entirely: a kid who once played pickup games at Eastside Park and rode his bike past Hinchliffe Stadium now returning home as a World Cup player.
For the next generation of athletes in the city, Etienne hopes that matters most.
“Everyone will say it’s crazy until you do it,” he said. “As long as you fight for it, work for it, and do the correct things, you put yourself in a good position to do whatever it is you want to do.”
This summer, one of Paterson’s own will take the field on soccer’s biggest stage. And for a city that helped raise him, that moment will feel like a victory, too.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Paterson will be rooting for one of their own in World Cup
Continue reading...
Etienne will represent Paterson, the city where his soccer journey began in parks, pickup games, and youth fields long before packed stadiums and international crowds became part of his life.
“I started from playing soccer across the street from my grandmother’s house and down in some grass with my mom and my dad, and now I'm in the World Cup,” said Etienne, whose Haiti team plays its first game Saturday night, June 13 against Scotland at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
“It’s going to be surreal thinking about all the little things that put a smile on my face,” he said.
Story continues below photo gallery
For Etienne, Paterson was more than a hometown. It was the foundation of everything that followed.
“Growing up in Paterson for me was honestly really easy,” Etienne said. “I had a good family who raised me and was known throughout the city, so I was able to keep myself out of trouble.”
Soccer quickly became the center of his world. He played for NASA United, the Paterson-based club where coaches and teammates began to notice a player whose ambition matched his talent.
“Nobody gets that skillful by accident,” said Kenny Callegari, president of NASA United. “He worked his tail off every single day. The ball was at his feet every day. He was hungry. We always saw himself playing at a higher level.”
Etienne’s soccer ambitions started at a young age.
“I knew from a very young age that I wanted to be a professional soccer player,” he said. “So I continued to really focus on that.”
Focus, sacrifice, giving up the fun stuff
That focus meant sacrifice. Schoolwork, training, travel, and family life all had to fit together.
“You’re not going to be able to hang out with friends all the time. You’re not going to be able to go to parties,” Etienne said when asked what advice he’d give young athletes. “Those are the sacrifices it takes for you to get to where you want to be.”
Callegari saw that discipline firsthand during Etienne’s youth years.
“He was a student of the game,” Callegari said. “He understood what coaches were trying to get out of him. That’s a quality not many kids his age had.”
You must be registered for see images attach
Paterson’s diversity also shaped Etienne’s development as a player. He grew up playing alongside children from Dominican, Peruvian, and other cultural backgrounds, absorbing different styles of soccer from the city’s immigrant communities.
“Playing with different cultures in Paterson helped because there’s a different style of play between different cultures,” Etienne said. “I had to find my own way to dominate wherever I went.”
Paterson to MLS
From NASA United, Etienne moved into the New York Red Bulls Academy, beginning a professional path that eventually took him through MLS clubs including the Red Bulls, Columbus Crew, FC Cincinnati, Atlanta United, and Toronto FC.
Along the way, he learned from elite coaches and international teammates, experiences he says prepared him for the World Cup stage.
Still, even after years in professional soccer, Paterson remained central to his identity.
“Paterson has showed me so much love,” he said. “That’s a main reason why I represent Jersey and Paterson so much.”
You must be registered for see images attach
This summer, Paterson plans to return that love. Hinchliffe Stadium will host a World Cup watch party for Haiti’s group-stage match against Brazil, and Etienne will be honored as one of the city’s own. That match will be on June 19 in Philadelphia.
“It’s surreal, honestly,” Etienne said. “I just wanted to play soccer. I wanted to score goals and win trophies. The recognition off the field was something I never really thought about.”
For many in Paterson, Etienne’s achievement is historic. Callegari called him “probably the first person from Paterson to play in the World Cup.”
“He’s one of us and he made it,” Callegari said. “Nobody epitomizes that dream as much as Derrick.”
Etienne’s impact extends beyond soccer clubs. He attended Passaic County Technical Institute (PCTI), where school officials say his journey has become an example for current students.
“When students see someone who sat in the same classrooms and walked the same hallways achieve success, it helps connect the dots,” said Fernando Colon, communications and special projects manager at PCTI. “It shows them what’s possible.”
Colon said representation matters, especially for students from immigrant and underserved communities.
“It’s one thing for someone to tell you what success looks like,” Colon said. “It’s another when they look like you and come from a similar background and can say, ‘I did it, and you can do it too.’”
Representing Haiti is deeply personal
For Etienne, representing Haiti carries a deeply personal meaning. His father, Derrick Etienne Sr., also played for Haiti, but Etienne said his father never pressured him to follow the same path.
“My father has always been my biggest mentor and role model. He understood the dream I wanted to live. From his playing days, he really wasn’t worried about his legacy,” Etienne said. “He wanted me to carve out my own legacy.”
You must be registered for see images attach
That freedom, combined with constant guidance, helped shape the player he became.
“He gave me the platform and the blueprint,” Etienne said. “He made sure I was put in the right environments all the time and was locked in!”
Underdog with nothing to lose
This is only the second time Haiti has qualified for the World Cup. The first was in 1974, long before Etienne was born. Now, as Haiti prepares for a difficult World Cup group featuring Brazil, Morocco, and Scotland, Etienne says the team embraces its underdog status.
“We have nothing to lose, which is a good space to be in,” he said. “If there’s nothing to lose, you have everything to gain.”
And while the world will see Haiti facing soccer giants, Paterson will see something else entirely: a kid who once played pickup games at Eastside Park and rode his bike past Hinchliffe Stadium now returning home as a World Cup player.
You must be registered for see images attach
For the next generation of athletes in the city, Etienne hopes that matters most.
“Everyone will say it’s crazy until you do it,” he said. “As long as you fight for it, work for it, and do the correct things, you put yourself in a good position to do whatever it is you want to do.”
This summer, one of Paterson’s own will take the field on soccer’s biggest stage. And for a city that helped raise him, that moment will feel like a victory, too.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Paterson will be rooting for one of their own in World Cup
Continue reading...
