When the whistle rang out for the start of Philadelphia Union's contest against CF Montreal, Nathan Harriel reached an important milestone as he become just the second Union homegrown to reach 100 league appearances.
Harriel's journey to reaching the century mark all began when he made the decision to move from Clearwater, Florida where he spent three years with Chargers Soccer Club and joined the prestigious Union Academy. After making 13 appearances with the team, he was promoted as an amateur to playing with Union II and was ultimately rewarded with a homegrown contract in 2021. In his debut season, Harriel notched his first assist against FC Cincinnati on Oct. 9 and continued the flurish from that moment. In 2022, the defender became just the 10th homegrown to score in a league match with a goal against Atlanta United FC on August 31st.
During his team with the club, Harriel was getting noticed on the international scene with the defender earning four caps with the US U-23s and then getting the call for the 2024 Olympic squad in Paris where he made three appearances. Those moments propelled Harriel to the senior team where he earned his first cap on June 7th in a friendly against Turkiye.
