# 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 and is known as a quick, physical and tireless player.

## 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. On 7 September 2017, Jean Jacques made his debut as a starter in the 2017 Closing opening game, a 0–0 tie against Petit-Goâve FC, his hometown team. He shortly thereafter went on a two-week trial with Le Havre before returning to Don Bosco. 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.
For the 2023–24 season, Jean Jacques was again a regular starter for Metz. On 13 August 2023, he made his Ligue 1 debut in a 5–1 loss to Rennes. For the season, he played 33 league games; however, Metz was relegated back to Ligue 2.

### 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.
On 21 August 2024, he made his debut in the Union's 2024 Leagues Cup semi-final game against Columbus Crew, which the Union lost 3–1.

## International career

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

### U17 Team

On 20 July 2016, Jean Jacques made his international youth team debut by scoring a goal in a 3-0 win against Puerto Rico in a CONCACAF Caribbean Qualifier for the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup. On 25 September 2016, he scored in the Caribbean Qualifying Tournament Final, a 5-0 win against Cuba, that qualified Haiti for the 2017 CONCACAF U-17 Championship. For the Caribbean Qualifying Tournament, Jean Jacques was named by the CONCACAF Technical Study Group to the Tournament's Best XI Team.
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.

## Career statistics

    As of match played 9 September 2024
Appearances and goals by national team and year :
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
| Haiti | 2023 | 8 | 1 |
| Haiti | 2024 | 5 | 1 |
| Total | Total | 13 | 2 |
    Scores and results list Haiti's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Jacques goal.
List of international goals scored by Danley Jean Jacques :
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
| 1 | 29 June 2023 | State Farm Stadium, Glendale, USA | Mexico | 1–2 | 1–3 | 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup | |
| 2 | 6 September 2024 | Mayagüez Athletics Stadium, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico | Puerto Rico | 2–1 | 4–1 | 2024–25 CONCACAF Nations League | |