Promise David opens UCL account as Union St-Gilloise beats PSV 3-1 in competition debut - ICYMI
It didn’t take long for Promise David to shine on Europe’s biggest stage.
Making his UEFA Champions League debut for Union St-Gilloise, who themselves were also taking their first steps into the competition in this opening day league stage clash vs. PSV Eindhoven, David didn’t wait long to make an impact.
After USG centre back Christian Burgess was fouled by USMNT forward Ricardo Pepi inside the box in the eight minute, David stepped up to take the penalty, and he coolly converted his attempt into the bottom left corner for the goal, which was both his and his club’s first-ever marker in this competition (and the first goal of this entire 2025-2026 Champions League campaign, too).
Promise David finds the net from the penalty spot for Union St.Gilloise!💥⚽️
— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) September 16, 2025
GAME ON | Watch the UEFA Champions League LIVE in select territories all season long | https://t.co/i0K4eUtwwb pic.twitter.com/PRtbP0a3BP
That set the table for an excellent day for USG, who, despite being on the road against a team that has qualified for the Round of 16 in two straight editions of this tournament, picked up a memorable 3-1 win at Philips Stadium. 
David’s goal didn’t end up standing as the winner, as PSV’s Ruben Van Bommel spoiled USG’s clean sheet with a goal in the 90th minute, but the early goal set the tone for what was to come from the visitors, who also scored in the 39th and 81st minutes, with the goals coming from Anouar Ait El Hadj and Kevin Mac Allister.
It ended up being a far more open game than they would’ve hoped, as PSV missed several glorious opportunities to pull the score back, generating 2.52 xG and generating five big chances, but USG did well to weather the storms around their goal - and they were fully deserving of their three goals after generating 3.25 xG and four big chances of their own, too.
As for David, it was a solid game from the Canadian striker, who showed some of his strengths and some weaknesses.
In terms of the positives, his goal was nice to see, as he’d missed his last two in-game penalties after scoring his first 10 spot kick attempts in his professional career* (he also scored a penalty for the CanMNT this summer, not counted in that data). Otherwise, he also did well to generate two more shots across his time on the pitch, coming close to adding a brace, while also creating one big chance for his striker partner, Kevin Rodriguez, with a great cross. 
Here are David's shots from this game (FotMob)
Then, as usual, he was a force in the air, winning five out of eight aerial duels, as he caused a lot of problems for the PSV backline when the ball was off the ground.
Where he struggled, though, was with his overall hold-up play, as he finished this game with just 23 touches in 67 minutes, completing just five out of 12 passes (42%). In particular, there were several moments where PSV’s defenders were able to step on him aggressively and win the ball before he could even take a touch (David lost all five of his ground duels).
Here are David's touches from this game (WhoScored)
Also, he struggled to make his typical runs in behind, which are a staple of his game in Belgium, as he was called offside four times, denying him of several dangerous opportunities to score.
Overall, though, it’s positive to see that on a day where David felt a bit off his top standard, he was still able to score and be dangerous around PSV’s box, showing why he’s been as consistent as he’s been with USG, with whom he’s now scored 27 goals in 48 appearances.
There’s no doubting that he knows where the net is, and he’s now shown that at the highest level, so if he can continue to round out his overall game, he’ll be a hot commodity next summer - especially if he can push to earn a starting role for the CanMNT at the World Cup.
"I don't (just) wanna be the first – I wanna continue and score more in this competition!"
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) September 16, 2025
CanMNT 🇨🇦 striker Promise David on scoring the 1st goal of the 2025-26 #UCL League Phase... and his and his club's first goal in the competition, ever 😎 pic.twitter.com/tVjWG9eV6K
Until then, though, look for him to build off this first Champions League goal over a busy few weeks for his club, who play fellow Belgian league title favourites KRC Genk this weekend, and will make their home UCL debut against Newcastle in a few weeks when they return to this competition on October 1st.
*Penalty data via Transfermarkt.
