
D.C. United Defender Frédéric Brillant Retires from Professional Soccer and Joins Loudoun United FC as Assistant Coach
January 11, 2022 - Major League Soccer (MLS) - D.C. United News Release
Washington, DC - D.C. United defender Frédéric Brillant has joined D.C. United's USL Championship affiliate, Loudoun United FC, as an assistant coach following his retirement from professional soccer.
"It is bittersweet to announce my retirement from professional soccer after over 15 years as a player," Frédéric Brillant said. "I want to thank D.C. United and New York City FC in addition to my Belgian clubs Beerschot AC and K.V. Oostende for trusting me as a player and making my career so enjoyable. Now, I am excited about this next challenge in my life and am looking forward to applying everything I've learned as a player as a coach for the next generation. It is exciting that I will still be a part of the D.C. United organization with Loudoun United and I'm thrilled to work alongside Head Coach Ryan Martin as we look to compete in the USL Championship this season, in addition to developing players to make the eventual jump up to D.C. United and Major League Soccer."
Brillant joined D.C. United on December 10, 2017, in a trade with New York City FC. In four seasons in the District, Brillant scored five goals and recorded two assists in 99 MLS Regular Season appearances for the Black-and-Red. In two MLS Cup Playoff appearances, Brillant scored one goal and recorded an assist. He was a stalwart in the D.C. United backline and represented the team as captain on multiple occasions. The 36-year-old made his debut for the club on March 3, 2018, and scored his first goal for the club against the Philadelphia Union on Aug. 4, 2019. In four seasons with the club, Brillant earned eight MLS Team of the Week selections; five times in 2019 and three times in 2020.
"I am excited to welcome Fred [Frédéric Brillant] not only to Loudoun United, but also to the coaching world," Ryan Martin, Loudoun United FC Head Coach, said. "Fred had a fantastic career and was able to play for a long time because of his professionalism and knowledge of the game. These characteristics will prove to be invaluable to our young players at the club as they continue to learn and grow. Fred will further strengthen the connection between the first team and Loudoun United and help align the style and system of play between the two. This is a great day for Loudoun United and the whole club to keep Fred with us in this capacity."
In a career that spanned 16 years, Brillant made over 400 professional appearances in the United States and Belgium. After starting his career in the lower divisions of Belgium with RE Bertrix, Brillant climbed up the Belgian divisions to represent Koninklijke Voetbalclub Oostende (K.V. Oostende) over two different stints in addition to Beerschot AC before making the move to MLS in 2016.
"We want to congratulate Fred [Frédéric Brillant] on a great professional playing career and thank him for his services to D.C. United. We are thrilled to be adding his experience to our coaching staff at Loudoun United as he enters a new chapter in his career," Stewart Mairs, Loudoun United General Manager, said. "With our young core of players at Loudoun United, Fred's knowledge and professionalism will play a huge part in their development pathway. Fred will be a valuable addition to the club as we continue preparations for the 2022 USL Championship season."
Brillant joined New York City FC on Jan. 28, 2016 from K.V. Oostende in Belgium and made his MLS debut in a win over Chicago on March 6, 2016. He became a mainstay in the NYCFC backline that season, starting 31 out of 34 regular season games for the Sky Blues in 2016 and helped lead the franchise to their first ever MLS Cup Playoff berth. In total, Brillant scored two goals and recorded an assist in 58 MLS appearances for NYCFC over two seasons.
Brillant joins Loudoun United FC as an assistant coach after completing his National B Coaching License certification through the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) in December 2021, as well as his National C Coaching License certification in January 2021. While still competing professionally for D.C. United, Brillant worked with the D.C. United Academy and USSF to gain his coaching accreditation.
• Discuss this story on the Major League Soccer message board...
Major League Soccer Stories from January 11, 2022
- Columbus Crew Selects Four Players in MLS SuperDraft 2022 Presented by Adidas - Columbus Crew SC
- Sounders FC Selects Pair of Local Products in 2022 MLS SuperDraft - Seattle Sounders FC
- CF Montréal Selects Jojea Kwizera and Ivy Brisma at the 2022 MLS SuperDraft - Club de Foot Montreal
- Charlotte FC Uses No. 1 Pick to Select Ben Bender of Univ. of Maryland in MLS SuperDraft '22 - MLS
- LA Galaxy Select Three Players in MLS SuperDraft 2022 - LA Galaxy
- Timbers Select Three Players in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft Pres. by Adidas - Portland Timbers
- Atlanta United Selects Erik Centeno, Tristan Trager, Daniel Bloyou and Tola Showunmi in 2022 MLS SuperDraft - Atlanta United FC
- Houston Dynamo Selects Three Players in 2022 MLS SuperDraft - Houston Dynamo FC
- Toronto FC Select Luka Gavran and Reshaun Walkes in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft - Toronto FC
- Whitecaps FC Select Five Players in 2022 MLS SuperDraft - Vancouver Whitecaps FC
- New York City FC Drafts Three Players in 2022 MLS SuperDraft - New York City FC
- Orlando City Selects Forward Jack Lynn in First Round of 2022 MLS SuperDraft - Orlando City SC
- Austin FC Selects Defender Kipp Keller with Fifth Overall Pick of 2022 MLS SuperDraft - Austin FC
- Nashville SC Selects Two Players in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft - Nashville SC
- Earthquakes Select Stanford Forward Ousseni Bouda and Clemson Defender Oskar Agren in First Round of 2022 MLS SuperDraft - San Jose Earthquakes
- Chicago Fire FC Select Four Players in MLS SuperDraft 2022 Presented by Adidas - Chicago Fire FC
- Inter Miami CF Selects Sailor, Meek, Ingram and Bagley in MLS SuperDraft 2022 - Inter Miami CF
- Sporting KC Selects Two Defenders in MLS SuperDraft - Sporting Kansas City
- Rapids Add Three Talents to Roster Following 2022 MLS SuperDraft - Colorado Rapids
- Charlotte FC Drafts Three Players in 2022 MLS SuperDraft, Selecting Ben Bender First Overall - Charlotte FC
- FC Dallas Selects Six Players in 2022 MLS SuperDraft - FC Dallas
- Sounders FC Signs University of Washington Midfielder Dylan Teves - Seattle Sounders FC
- New England Revolution Make Two Selections in 2022 MLS SuperDraft - New England Revolution
- MNUFC Select Forward Tani Oluwaseyi in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft - Minnesota United FC
- D.C. United Select Midfielder Skage Simonsen with the 69th Pick in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft - D.C. United
- Real Salt Lake Selects Two in 2022 MLS SuperDraft - Real Salt Lake
- Chicago Fire FC Defender Carlos Terán Receives U.S. Green Card - Chicago Fire FC
- D.C. United Select Midfielder Alex Nagy with the 41st Pick in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft - D.C. United
- D.C. United Select Midfielder Sofiane Djeffal with 36th Pick in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft - D.C. United
- D.C. United Acquire 36th Overall Pick in 2022 MLS SuperDraft and $100,000 in 2022 General Allocation Money (GAM) - D.C. United
- Ben Bender Is a Technical Midfielder who Excels in Positive Attacking Play - Charlotte FC
- Expansion Club Charlotte FC Selects Ben Bender with the First Overall Pick in MLS SuperDraft 2022 Presented by adidas - MLS
- Charlotte FC Select Midfielder Ben Bender, Maryland with First Overall Pick in 2022 MLS SuperDraft Pres. by adidas - Charlotte FC
- Return Leg against Santos Laguna at Olympic Stadium Changed to 8pm - Club de Foot Montreal
- Gillette Stadium Will Host Both Legs of Round of 16 Series Between New England Revolution and Cavaly AS - New England Revolution
- New York City FC Announces Home Venue for Upcoming Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League Match - New York City FC
- Timbers Sign Forward Tega Ikoba as Homegrown Player - Portland Timbers
- Sporting KC Forward Alan Pulido out for 2022 Season - Sporting Kansas City
- Real Salt Lake Signs Julio Benitez as Club's 29th All-Time Homegrown Player - Real Salt Lake
- Jeff Berding Promoted to Co-CEO of Fussball Club Cincinnati - FC Cincinnati
- D.C. United Defender Frédéric Brillant Retires from Professional Soccer and Joins Loudoun United FC as Assistant Coach - D.C. United
- MLS SuperDraft 2022 Takes Place Today - San Jose Earthquakes
- Ryan Shawcross Announces Retirement - Inter Miami CF
- MNUFC Signs New Contract for Defender Brent Kallman - Minnesota United FC
- Toronto FC Sign Luca Petrasso - Toronto FC
- Real Salt Lake Partners with Playfly Sports' Naming Rights Division - Real Salt Lake
- Inter Miami CF Signs Goalkeeper Clément Diop - Inter Miami CF
- Last Week around the Leagues - OSC Original by Fran Stuchbury
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
Other Recent D.C. United Stories
- Major League Soccer Reschedules Kick-Off Time for the Match Between D.C. United and Toronto FC at Audi Field on Saturday, May 21
- Audi Field in Conjunction with the Capitol Riverfront BID Present "Movies on the Pitch"
- D.C. United Lose 2-0 against New York City FC at Audi Field
- D.C. United Acquire Loudoun United Defender Sami Guediri on Loan
- D.C. United Tie 2-2 against Inter Miami CF at DRV PNK Stadium

