Frédéric Brillant made his 100th regular season appearance in Major League Soccer in the 1-1 draw against Toronto FC at Audi Field on June 29. Prior to making the switch to MLS, the Frenchman spent five seasons in the Belgian First Division A. Brillant made a total of 111 appearances scoring 12 goals with Belgian sides Koninklijke Voetbalclub Oostende and Koninklijke Beerschot between 2011 and 2015.
The veteran defender arrived in MLS in 2016 and spent his first two seasons with New York City FC. During his two-year stint with the club, Brillant made 54 appearances, recording two goals and one assist. D.C. United acquired the 34-year-old defender in a trade sending NYCFC General Allocation Money as well as a 2018 international roster slot. In his debut season with the Black-and-Red, Brillant made 27 appearances while helping United to five clean sheets. He recorded one assist during the regular season, and scored his first and only goal for D.C. United in the playoff defeat to Columbus Crew SC during the 2018 MLS Playoffs.
To start the 2019 season, Brillant has appeared in every game so far, coming off the bench in just one of them. The central defender has shown his composure with the ball at his feet recording a passing accuracy of 83% while providing one assist in the process. Brillant’s defensive display has been dominant this season, as he has recorded 29 tackles, and 23 interceptions while leading the team in clearances with 120. Brillant has also made his presence known to opposing attackers by winning 56 of his aerial duels. The defender has been key to D.C. United’s defensive success as he has helped the team to a league high eight clean sheets this season.
Brillant has solidified his role as Ben Olsen’s first choice center back, forming a formidable partnership with Steven Birnbaum. His calm passing skills along with his athletic presence and experience will be instrumental for the Black-and-Red during the second half of the season and into the playoffs.
