*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:45, 2 June 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 7:00, 7 September 2024 (UTC)
Starting in 2014,[3] Jean Jacques’ youth training was done at Academia de Futebol Pérolas Negras, which started in Port-au-Prince for refugees after the 2009 Haitian earthquake before expanding in 2014 to Brazil for poverty-stricken Brazilians and other refugees. Jean Jacques was part of a Haitian team that trained in Brazil and participated as a guest team in the 2017 Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior U20 Cup.[4][5]
Club career
Don Bosco
In August 2017, Jean Jacques joined Don Bosco FC in Ligue Haïtienne.[3] On September 7, 2017, Jean Jacques made his debut as a starter in the 2017 Closing opening game, a 0-0 tie against Petit-Goâve FC, his hometown team. He shortly thereafter went on a two-week trial with Le Havre before returning to Don Bosco.[6] He played sparingly thereafter in the 20i7 Closing and 2018 Opening seasons.
Jean Jacques began to play more regularly in the 2018 Closing season, including the playoffs, which saw Don Bosco win the championship.[7]
Jean Jacques and other Haiti League players experienced several season abandonments due to civil unrest (2019 Opening) and COVID (2020 Opening). Jean Jacques finished his Don Bosco stint with 7 goals scored in 52 games.
[8]
FC Metz
In August 2021, he completed a successful trial with FC Metz and started with its reserve team in Championnat National 2, the 4th tier of French football.[9] On September 10, 2021, he made his debut in a 1-0 win against SAS Épinal. For the 2021 - 2022 season, Jean Jacques played 15 games.[10]
On June 7, 2022, he signed a professional contract with Metz keeping him at the club until June 2024 and he was moved to the first team.[11] On July 30, 2022, he made his professional debut with Metz in a 3–0 Ligue 2 win over Amiens.[12] On September 12, 2022 in a 6-3 loss[13] to EA Guingamp, Jean Jacques was given a red card for a tackle that later resulted in a 4-game suspension.[14] On March 10, 2023, Jean Jacques signed a contract extension with Metz through 2027.[15] For the 2022 - 203 season, FC Metz was promoted to Ligue 1 as Jean Jacques played 31 league games.[10]
For the 2023 - 2024 Ligue 1 season, Jean Jacques was again a regular starter for FC Metz. On August 13, 2023, he made his Ligue 1 debut in a 5-1 loss to Stade Rennais. For the season, he played 33 league games; however, FC Metz was relegated back to Ligue 2.[16]
Philadelphia Union
On August 8, 2024, Jean Jacques was acquired by Philadelphia Union in Major League Soccer for a 1.4 million € transfer fee to FC Metz as well as $100,000 paid to Portland Timbers for his MLS Discovery Rights. He signed a contract through the end of the 2026 season with club options for 2027 and 2028.[17][18][1]
On August 21, 2024, he made his debut in the Union's 2024 Leagues Cup semi-final game against Columbus Crew, which the Union lost 3-1.[19]
International career
Jean Jacques has represented Haiti at various age levels, having represented them from the Haiti U17s to the U21s.[8]
U17 Team
On July 20, 2016, Jean Jacques made his international youth team debut by scoring a goal in a 3-0 win against Puerto Rico in a CONCACAF Caribbean Qualifier for the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup. On September 25, 2016, he scored in the Caribbean Qualifying Tournament Final, a 5-0 win against Cuba, that qualified Haiti for the 2017 CONCACAF U-17 Championship. For the Caribbean Qualifying Tournament, Jean Jacques was named by the CONCACAF Technical Study Group to the Tournament's Best XI Team.[20]
In May 2018, Jean Jacques played in the 6-team Guadeloupe International Tournament, involving Caribbean and Central American teams.[24][25] On May 21, 2018, he scored in the final, a 1-1 tie that Costa Rica won 4-3 on penalty kicks.[26]
In July 2018, Jean Jacques played in the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games in Colombia. On July 21, 2018, he scored the game-winning goal in a 1-0 win over El Salvador.[30]
