Frédéric Brillant (born 26 June 1985) is a French former
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
and coach. He has played most of his career with clubs in Belgium and in the United States.
Career
Belgium
Brillant started his professional career with RE Bertrix in the lower divisions of Belgium. He then joined second-division side
Oostende in 2011. Brillant then made it to the top-flight Belgium league,
Belgian First Division A
The Belgian Pro League (; ; ), officially the Jupiler Pro League () for sponsor Jupiler, is a professional association football league in Belgium and the highest level of the Belgian football league system. Contested by 16 clubs from the 2023– ...
by joining
Beerschot
Koninklijke Beerschot Voetbalclub Antwerpen (), or simply Beerschot, is a Belgian professional football club located in Antwerp, that competes in the top tier Pro League after promotion from second tier in 2023–24 season. In 2013, KFCO Wil ...
in 2012. After his former club, KV Oostende was promoted to the first division, Brillant re-joined Oostende in 2013.
Brillant appeared in 127 games in total for
Oostende, and contributed 13 goals and one assist.
New York City
Brillant was acquired by New York City from the Belgian team
Oostende on 28 January 2016 on a free transfer and scored his first
MLS
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanctioned by the United ...
goal against
Orlando City SC
Orlando City Soccer Club is an American professional soccer club based in Orlando, Florida. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Owned by Zygi, Leonard, and Mark Wilf, it is the sister club of ...
on 29 May 2016. He was released by New York at the end of their 2017 season.
D.C. United
He was signed to a two-year contract by
D.C. United on 10 December 2017. On 1 November 2018, Brillant scored his first goal for
D.C. United against the
Columbus Crew
The Columbus Crew are an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team began play in 1996 as one of the 10 cha ...
with a header in the first round of the MLS 2018 Playoffs. Brillant finished his first year for D.C. United with 27 games played, 24 starts and a contribution of one assist. Brillant scored his second goal for D.C. United against
Seattle Sounders FC
Seattle Sounders FC is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The club was established on ...
on 22 September 2019. The goal was assisted by
Wayne Rooney
Wayne Mark Rooney (born 24 October 1985) is an English professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Association football, player who was most recently the head coach of EFL Championship club Plymouth Argyle F.C., Pl ...
.
For his consistency with D.C., he was featured MLS's Team of the Week three weeks in a row in 2019.
On 10 December 2019, he signed a two-year contract extension with the club. In 2021, Brillant's playing time began to decline after the acquisition of
Brendan Hines-Ike and the rise of
Donovan Pines
Donovan Cameron Pines (born March 7, 1998) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a center-back for club Barnsley.
Club career
Pines played soccer for River Hill High School before attending University of Maryland College ...
in the starting lineup. Following the 2021 season, Brillant was released by D.C. United.
Coaching
On 11 January 2022, Brillant announced his retirement from playing and professional football, and would be taking up a role as assistant coach to
Loudoun United.
On 22 April 2022 it was announced that Brillant had been hired as an assistant coach for D.C. United, his former club.
On 13 March 2024 Brillant was announced as an assistant coach for the
Utah Royals of the
NWSL
The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is a women's professional Association football, soccer league and the highest level of the United States soccer league system#Women's leagues, United States soccer league system (alongside the USL Supe ...
, an expansion side in its inaugural season.
On 20 May 2024, Brillant was announced as the head coach for
DC Power FC of the newly-formed
USL Super League
The USL Super League (USLS), officially known as the Gainbridge Super League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional women's soccer league and the highest level of the United States soccer league system, alongside the National Women's Socce ...
Power FC and Brillant parted ways on 27 November 2024, after posting a record of 3 wins, 6 losses, and 4 draws.
Career statistics
Club
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brillant, Frederic
1985 births
Living people
Men's association football defenders
Belgian Pro League players
Beerschot A.C. players
D.C. United players
K.V. Oostende players
French expatriate sportspeople in Belgium
French expatriate sportspeople in the United States
French men's footballers
Major League Soccer players
New York City FC players
Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States
Expatriate men's footballers in Belgium
Loudoun United FC
USL Championship coaches
Sportspeople from Sedan, Ardennes
CS Sedan Ardennes players
French expatriate men's footballers
Footballers from Ardennes (department)
D.C. United non-playing staff
French football coaches
French football managers
French expatriate football managers
Expatriate soccer coaches in the United States
USL Super League head coaches
21st-century French sportsmen