Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — France has returned to its status as a world soccer power in recent years — appearing in the last two World Cup finals and winning one — but up until this season, there had never been a French player drafted by Real Salt Lake.
Dozens of nationalities have been part of the club's 18-year history, and, thanks to newcomer Bertin Jacquesson, France is now part of that history.
The 22-year-old native of Fontainebleau joined RSL as a Generation Adidas player in December; he was drafted with the 16th overall pick following his three-year college career at Pitt.
Jacquesson scored the very next month in his first preseason game with RSL against LAFC, but was pushed to the bench when Jefferson Savarino and Andres Gomez took over the starting wing spots, and even spent time with the second team Real Monarchs.
An opportunity arose, however, when veteran winger Justin Meram was traded to Charlotte FC at the transfer deadline on April 24, right in the middle of a three-match week for RSL.
Jacquesson was picked to make the trip to Las Vegas for RSL's first U.S. Open Cup match on April 26 with Meram gone and Savarino staying home. He made his RSL debut in the 78th minute of a 0-0 match and got the assist on a corner kick to Damir Kreilach for the opening goal of the game in extra time.
The one that started it all. pic.twitter.com/vW7pB2C1kj
— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) April 27, 2023
When asked ahead of Saturday's home match against Seattle who might benefit from Meram's absence the first name out of head coach Pablo Mastroeni's mouth was Jacquesson.
"I think it gives an opportunity for a guy like Bertin, who's been performing really well with the first team any chance he gets, to get more of a shot," Mastroeni said.
He got another shot on Saturday in front of the home crowd, and gained some new fans with his impressive athletic ability and skill on the ball. While the game ended in a 0-0 draw, it felt like a revelation had been made in an area of desperate need for RSL.
"I thought he was bright, running behind the defense and had some good hold-up moments," Mastroeni said of Jacquesson's MLS debut. "He's a player that can really stand on one leg and hit the ball with accuracy and pace. So for a debut, I think it was really good to see him. And moving forward, I think he's put himself in a position to get minutes."
Pablo Mastroeni talks about the intensity of the match and what he saw from Bertín Jacquesson tonight. #RSLpic.twitter.com/sCjTKpmwDY
— Caleb Turner (@calebturner23) April 30, 2023
Jacquesson has traditionally played on the wing but came on for striker Danny Musovski up top against Seattle. The substitution came just 11 minutes into the second half, giving spectators nearly 40 minutes of observation time on the French forward.
Fans on Twitter noted his potential as the striker RSL has been looking for to pair up top with Anderson Julio, with one even comparing him to U.S. men's national team star Timothy Weah.
At 6-feet tall, with the burst and touch to get into the box, Jacquesson certainly looks the part of a dangerous presence that could open up scoring opportunities for an RSL squad still searching for goals after coming up empty on Saturday.
The team's next game is on the road against the Houston Dynamo in a matchup between the sixth- and 10th-place squads in the Western Conference on Saturday, May 6 at 6:30 p.m. MDT.
