Nick Pariano is going home.
The senior midfielder, who emerged as a star and a team captain in his four years with the Blue Devils, signed a homegrown contract with MLS’s Philadelphia Union, the team announced Thursday. The contract will place Pariano with the Union through at least 2025, with options for 2026-27. He will start training in January.
“We’ve watched Nick develop throughout his time with Union Academy and into a productive and successful collegiate athlete, and we are excited to now bring him home to the Union,” said the team’s sporting director Ernst Tanner in a press release. “He is a very versatile midfielder who can play with both feet and has the ability to read the game well. At just 20 years old, Nick is a promising talent for the pathway to the pros and we look forward to his continued development in our system.”
The Philadelphia native started all of Duke’s games in both his junior and senior years, making a name for himself as a potent offensive facilitator and passer. He put up 10 goals and 26 assists in 72 appearances, and saw himself named to the first team of his senior season’s All-ACC squad. In 2022, he helped lead his group to an undefeated regular season.
Pariano scored a career-high two goals in his final year against Syracuse, also recording eight assists including a string of four straight games with one. Despite his efforts, the Blue Devils fell first to Clemson in the conference tournament and then to Western Michigan in the NCAA postseason.
Pariano leaves a sizable gap in a Blue Devil group that is looking increasingly thin. His marks the second departure in just a few days, as standout freshman goalkeeper Julian Eyestone announced his plan to leave for the pros Tuesday. Between pro signings and the departures of those without remaining eligibility, it will be up to head coach John Kerr to bring in a good group of freshmen and transfers to fill the holes in his lineup.
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