HARRISON, N.J. — As the soccer ball hit the back of the net, Karen Stroud shot to her feet and excitedly waved her arms. Jared Stroud ran to the far corner of Red Bull Arena, drawing cheers from one set of fans in red and black and boos from the other.
Jared Stroud’s goal got D.C. United off to a quick start, but the match ended in a 2-2 draw against the host Red Bulls.
“It’s always mixed feelings,” said Jared, who had been picked by the Red Bulls in the third round of the 2018 MLS SuperDraft.
“It’s always nice to score, especially for our team, but obviously I had a good time at Red Bull. I was here a couple of years ago. It’s mixed feelings for sure. I have a lot of respect for the club. But yeah, it felt good.”
But even as the rest of the Stroud family celebrated, youngest brother Peter could only watch helplessly.
Peter Stroud, a midfielder in his second season with the Red Bulls, had little brotherly love to spare. He was cheering for his teammates.
“That was not supposed to happen,” Peter said of Jared’s goal. His brother Will chimed in, “Got to root for my brother.”
Responded Peter, with a sideways glance at Will and their mother, Karen, “They’re rooting for my brother, but I’m not, because I’m on Red Bull. I want my team to win, so when I’m back, we can win it all.”
Of Jared, Peter Stroud grudgingly admitted, “He’s a good player.”
All four Stroud boys grew up playing soccer together in their Chester backyard, games Peter rarely won. The three eldest – Dylan, Jared and Will – all won Morris County Tournament soccer titles at Delbarton. Peter also spent two years at the all-boys private school in Morris Township, but, as a member of the Red Bulls Academy, was ineligible to play high school soccer.
Instead, he managed the freshman soccer team for one season before leaving for England to play for West Ham United’s under-18 and -23 squads. He made his West Ham youth debut at age 16, a 1-0 victory against Swansea City, and appeared in a Premier League 2 match two months later.
Peter Stroud also appeared with the United States U-15 and -17 national teams.
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Saturday was the first time Peter had gotten to watch Jared play in a Major League Soccer match. While at Duke University in 2022, Peter traveled to Charlotte to see Jared, who was then with expansion Austin FC.
But Jared never got off the bench.
“It sucks not being able to play. It sucks to watch the game (from the stands),” said Peter Stroud, who signed a Homegrown deal with the Red Bulls in January 2023. “In the short time I’ve been here, I’ve never not been on the bench or the field. It’s a different perspective.”
Stephen Stroud, the boys’ father, grew up near Brighton in southern England. A left back, he came to the United States in 1988 to play soccer at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut, and became the first in his family to graduate from college.
That’s also where he and Karen met.
“We’re trying to be as neutral as we possibly can,” Stephen Stroud said, joking with his Bridgeport roommate and goalkeeper Joe DiDonzio of Ramapo.
“It would have been nicer if the boys were playing each other, so they could talk about it forever like we do.”
Still recovering from ankle surgery, Peter Stroud watched most of the match from section 105 with other players’ families and friends. He spent part in the back row with his mom and brother Will, and some seated between his father and longtime girlfriend Talia Della Peruta, whose pro soccer team in Genoa, Italy, is between seasons.
No one in the group wore the teams’ shared colors. Peter was in all black. Karen, a white button-down blouse and black capri pants. Even Will Stroud, who works in the Red Bulls’ youth programs department, had no team logos, just a grey T-shirt and black shorts.
Only eldest brother Dylan Stroud was missing on Saturday, on vacation in Belgium with his wife, Elena.
“I’m rooting for my brother. Every other game, I root for the Red Bulls,” Will Stroud said. “I usually come when Peter plays. … I think that’s what got us to where we are now. It made soccer a fun sport to play. We had a passion for the game, and now it’s a way of life.”
It is the first time Jared Stroud has played in front of fans at Red Bull Arena since leaving his hometown club for Austin and then St. Louis City. His last trip back was to a silent stadium, due to COVID.
While Jared did get to see his parents in Hoboken on Friday night, he admitted, “The W Hotel is a little far from Chester.” With D.C. United hosting Cincinnati on Wednesday, he didn’t have the time for a trip home to see the family dog or visit Chester Bagels.
“It’s so nice to be back in Jersey. It’s a good feeling to be home,” said Jared, clutching a plate of chicken, fajita vegetables and yellow rice.
“Between me and Pete, I’m excited to play against him next year, or maybe in Leagues Cup this year. We’re not competitive in a negative way. It’s probably weirder for him. For me, it just feels good.”

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