Neil Pierre, 18, could be the USMNT answer to a longstanding problem

FAYETTEVILLE, Ga.— From family watch parties for World Cup games to a U.S.

national team call-up in the span of 10 weeks, Neil Pierre is moving through milestones at warp speed.It takes just one look at the 18-year-old center back, who stands 6-foot-6 ½ but jokes that he rounds up to 6-foot-7, to understand why Mauricio Pochettino included him among the group of youngsters called in for the two-week, four-game camp that starts here at U.S.Soccer’s training center outside Atlanta.Pierre has a physical frame built for winning duels, and his rapid development over the past six months suggests he’ll reach his potential sooner rather than later.“When you talk about Neil Pierre, we saw that, of course, some good things, some things need to improve, but when you compare him with a 30-year-old or 26- or 28-year-old center back [who] maybe is playing in another country or maybe in MLS, I don’t see the difference because one has more experience than another,” Pochettino said.

“Both can make a mistake, both can be good.That is why this type of potential, when a player like this guy is playing in MLS, how can we contribute in their career?”To recap: Pierre signed a first-team deal with the Philadelphia Union just over 18 months ago, but played mostly for their second team in MLS Next Pro until a loan move to Danish side Lyngby in January.He regularly cracked the starting 11 for a team that earned promotion to the Danish Superliga last season, topping in the table in the country’s second division — interestingly, goalkeeper Diego Kochen, who was also called up for the first time this camp, is on loan at the same club — and since returning stateside, Pierre has been a force.“I would say that’s a very, very big part of my success this year,” Pierre said of his time on loan.

“Being away from home for the first time, seeing a whole different world.It was a good thing.

That was like, I would say, my college experience away from college.I think that...