COLUMBUS — Columbus Crew SC today announced that the Club has signed midfielder Derrick Etienne Jr. (pronounced: eh-TYEN). Etienne, 23, is a four-year Major League Soccer veteran who has won the MLS Supporters’ Shield (2018) as well as the USL Cup (2016) and the USL Regular Season Championship (2016). The midfielder was previously a member of the New York Red Bulls, where he played from 2015-2019, spending the second half of the 2019 MLS season on loan with FC Cincinnati.
A New York Red Bulls Academy product, Etienne signed with the Red Bulls as a Homegrown Player on December 21, 2015. From 2015-2019, the midfielder made 60 appearances for the New York Red Bulls, scoring six goals and providing four assists. Etienne was a member of the 2018 Red Bulls’ squad that won the MLS Supporters’ Shield. While with the New York Red Bulls, Etienne also made 52 regular-season appearances and registered 13 goals and five assists for the Club’s USL Championship side the New York Red Bulls II. The midfielder was a key member of the Red Bulls II side that won the USL Regular Season and the USL Cup in 2016.
At the international level, Etienne has earned 22 caps and scored three goals with the Haiti National Team since making his debut as a substitute in a Caribbean Cup Qualifier against French Guiana in 2016 (November 9). Etienne also represented Haiti at the youth level, featuring for Haiti’s Under-17 and U-20 sides.
As a collegiate player, Etienne played for the University of Virginia in 2015, making 17 appearances while scoring two goals and providing one assist. In his lone season with the Cavaliers, the midfielder was named to the Atlantic Coast Conference All-Freshman Team.
Crew SC’s 2020 MLS preseason continues with the Black & Gold currently in Cancun, Mexico before traveling to Tucson, Arizona on February 10 to participate in the 2020 Visit Tucson Sun Cup.
The Black & Gold begin the 2020 MLS regular season at MAPFRE Stadium against New York City FC, on Sunday, March 1 at 12:30 p.m. ET. Tickets to all matches on the Crew SC home schedule are available now online at ColumbusCrewSC.com or via phone. For access to purchasing FC Cincinnati tickets, call 614-447-CREW. Local broadcast and promotional schedule information will be released at a later date.
With the addition of Etienne, Crew SC's current 2020 roster – listed alphabetically below – now stands at 26 players. Crew 2020 MLS SuperDraft selection Miguel Berry is with the team in preseason as unsigned.
Goalkeepers (3): Jon Kempin, Matt Lampson, Eloy Room
Defenders (9): Harrison Afful, Chris Cadden, Waylon Francis, Aboubacar Keita, Jonathan Mensah, Axel Sjoberg, Milton Valenzuela, Josh Williams, Vito Wormgoor
Midfielders (10): Artur, Sebastian Berhalter, Luis Diaz, Derrick Etienne Jr., Hector Jimenez, Youness Mokhtar, Aidan Morris, Darlington Nagbe, Pedro Santos, Lucas Zelarayan
Forwards (4): Fanendo Adi, Jordan Hamilton, JJ Williams, Gyasi Zardes
TRANSACTION: Columbus Crew SC signs midfielder Derrick Etienne Jr. on February 4, 2020.
Name: Derrick Etienne Jr. (eh-TYEN)
Position: Midfielder
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 160
Born: November 25, 1996 in Richmond, Virginia
Hometown: Paterson, New Jersey
Citizenship: United States/Haiti
Acquired: Signed by Crew SC on February 4, 2020
Previous Experience: New York Red Bulls (2015-2019), FC Cincinnati (2019)
