Piette Playing Global: Lessons From a Professional Soccer Career

The posts you’ll see in “Piette Playing Global” are just a few images from my travels and playing experiences as a professional soccer player.

Those years taught me something important: technique always beats athleticism at the higher levels of the game. You can be the best athlete in your town or the fastest player in your league, but if you want to reach the highest levels you must continue improving technically.

Today I’m grateful to spend my time teaching players, parents, and coaches how to improve their skills and better promote their talents.

What It’s Really Like Playing Professional Soccer Around the World

Many young players dream of playing professional soccer internationally, but the reality is often very different from what people imagine.

During my career I played and trained across four continents and in 17 countries. Every league, culture, and club environment was different. Some places were extremely professional and organized, while others required players to adapt quickly and work their way up through smaller opportunities.

Here are a few lessons I learned from playing professional soccer around the world:

• Technique matters more than athleticism at the higher levels of soccer.
• Opportunities overseas often begin with short trials or temporary contracts.
• Different countries have very different levels of professionalism and resources.
• Players must learn to adapt quickly to new cultures, coaching styles, and teammates.
• Maturity and patience are critical when building a professional career.

The experiences shared below are just a few moments from my career playing professional soccer across multiple countries and leagues.

Key Takeaways From My Playing Career

• Technique becomes more important than athleticism at higher levels of soccer.
• Professional opportunities often require patience and humility early in a career.
• Playing internationally exposes athletes to different styles and cultures of soccer.
• Many lessons learned as a professional athlete apply directly to coaching and mentoring players today.

Table of Contents

• MLS Draft and Early Career
• Playing With Portmore United in Jamaica
• Playing in Singapore
• Playing Against LA Galaxy
• Vancouver Whitecaps vs Montreal Impact
• Defending Jonny Menyongar

MLS Draft and Early Career

After being drafted by FC Dallas in the Major League Soccer SuperDraft, I spent about a month in preseason training both in Santiago, Chile and Dallas.

Eventually I was told I would not be getting playing time in games.

My college coach helped arrange a trial in Denmark, where I spent several months training with a second division team.

The coach liked my play and helped arrange an opportunity in Singapore. The plan was for me to stay for one month and then decide whether to sign.

Ultimately I returned to Denmark for a few more weeks before heading back to the United States.

Looking back, maturity-wise I probably missed some opportunities in Asia and Europe. I was expecting a higher level of professionalism like MLS, not realizing that in many places you have to work your way up through different levels.

MLS was extremely professional, and I didn’t realize how rare that level of organization was around the world.

Jeremie Piette – Portmore United, Jamaica

Between seasons playing with the Vancouver Whitecaps, I spent three months playing with Portmore United in the CONCACAF Club Championship.

Portmore represented the best team from the Caribbean, while the tournament also featured two MLS teams, four Mexican teams, and three Central American clubs.

A former teammate connected me with an agent based in Jamaica. The hope was to perform well enough to get noticed by Mexican clubs, where professional salaries can be among the highest in the world.

Playing in Kingston, Jamaica was an experience in itself — some exciting and sometimes dangerous situations that definitely made for memorable stories.

Piette Playing Global in Singapore

During my time in Singapore I enjoyed sightseeing and learning about the culture.

The football was exciting, and the league featured a number of foreign players from places like Brazil and Eastern Europe.

At the time I was the only American playing soccer in Singapore. Another foreigner on our team was from Australia and had played all over the world.

Singapore used to be a destination where foreign players could earn good money while the local players earned far less.

Practices were typically held in the morning, which meant I often had afternoons to explore the city.

In the photo below, the background is downtown Singapore, with the ocean and beaches directly in front.

Jeremie Piette Playing Against LA Galaxy

While playing with the Puerto Rico Islanders, we competed in a preseason tournament against both LA Galaxy and FC Dallas.

LA Galaxy ended up winning the tournament. The New York team was also there competing, although we did not play them.

Vancouver Whitecaps vs Montreal Impact

This match took place only 10 days after I had microscopic surgery on my left knee.

The injury began late in the previous season. I felt pain in my knee after the final match and continued to feel it during my time playing in Jamaica. A few games into the next season I felt it tear.

Whenever I planted my left knee and turned right, the pain would shoot through the joint.

Even though I had just undergone surgery, our team had several injuries. When we traveled to Montreal to face the Impact, I ended up starting and playing the full 90 minutes.

The game finished in a 0–0 draw.

Defending Jonny Menyongar

When defending smaller and quicker players, one key is getting low and matching their center of gravity.

That way when they change direction, you are already balanced and able to react.

Jonny Menyongar is a Liberian professional player who competed in both the United States and India. He was always a fun opponent to play against.

Wishing him well.

Our Most Popular Posts:

• 3 ways to strike the ball with power
• How to boost confidence in soccer
• 8 best first touch drills
• Expert dribbling tips
• Goal side defending