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John O'Brien (soccer)

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John O'Brien
O'Brien in 2006
Personal information
Full name Jonathan Patrick O'Brien[1]
Date of birth (1977-08-29) August 29, 1977 (age 47)
Place of birth Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Position(s) Midfielder, left-back
Youth career
1994–1998 Ajax
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1998–2005 Ajax 63 (3)
1998–1999 → Utrecht (loan) 19 (2)
2005–2006 ADO Den Haag 3 (0)
2006 Chivas USA 1 (0)
Total 86 (5)
International career
1998–2006 United States 32 (3)
Medal record
Representing  United States
Winner CONCACAF Gold Cup 2005
Men's Soccer
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Jonathan Patrick O'Brien (born August 29, 1977) is an American former soccer player. After retiring, he pursued a career in psychology.[2]

O'Brien was one of the first Americans to earn a starting spot with a major European team, with Ajax Amsterdam in the late 1990s.[nb 1] At the peak of his career, United States national teammate Landon Donovan called O'Brien the "best soccer player in the USA."[3][4]

Professional career

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O'Brien grew up in Playa del Rey, California and attended Brentwood School. After being brought to attention of youth director Co Adriaanse, he had his first trial with Ajax at the age of 14 and signed an amateur contract with the Dutch giants in 1994 as a 17-year-old. After two years on their youth teams, Ajax offered O'Brien a professional contract in 1998. He spent the 1998–99 season on loan to FC Utrecht and made his Ajax debut in 1999. He became a regular for the team, usually playing at left back, winning the Eredivisie in 2002 and 2004.

Unfortunately, chronic injuries limited O'Brien's playing time. He left Ajax for ADO Den Haag in February 2005. After one injury-riddled season, in which he only played three games for the club, O'Brien came to MLS for the first time, to sign with hometown club Chivas USA. O'Brien played only one game with Chivas before suffering an injury with the U.S. national team during the 2006 World Cup, and was released by the club following the 2006 season.

O'Brien stated that he was done playing in an interview on June 11, 2008.[5]

International career

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With the United States, O'Brien earned his first cap against Austria on April 22, 1998, but was an alternate for the U.S. squad for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He played in the 2000 Summer Olympics, helping to lead the U.S. to a fourth-place finish. O'Brien became a regular with the senior team under Bruce Arena, and came into his own at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Playing in defensive midfield, he scored the opener in the 3–2 win over Portugal, assisted on Clint Mathis' goal against South Korea, and played every minute of every game for the United States.

Four years later, O'Brien was named to the U.S. roster for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. On June 12, 2006, he played the second half of the U.S.'s opening game against the Czech Republic, albeit with a nagging injury, which kept him out for the duration of the tournament.

Personal life

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O’ Brien lives with his wife, son, and daughter near Boulder, Colorado. After retiring from soccer, O’Brien returned to college and completed a doctorate in clinical psychology from Alliant International University. Dr. O’Brien has two separate practices, one providing mental health counseling to the general public and one working as a sports psychologist.[6]

Career statistics

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Club

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Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[7]
Club Season League National cup[a] Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Utrecht 1998–99 Eredivisie 19 2 0 0 – – 19 2
Ajax 1999–2000 Eredivisie 15 1 1 0 4 0 0[b] 0 20 1
2000–01 4 0 0 0 0 0 – 4 0
2001–02 27 2 4 0 3 0 – 34 2
2002–03 12 0 2 0 5 0 1[b] 0 20 0
2003–04 4 0 0 0 0 0 – 4 0
2004–05 1 0 0 0 0 0 0[b] 0 1 0
Total 63 3 7 0 12 0 1 0 83 3
ADO Den Haag 2005–06 Eredivisie 3 0 1 0 – – 4 0
Chivas USA 2006 Major League Soccer 1 0 0 0 – – 1 0
Career total 86 5 8 0 12 0 1 0 107 5
  1. ^ Includes KNVB Cup, U.S. Open Cup
  2. ^ a b c Appearance in Johan Cruijff Shield

International

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Appearances and goals by national team and year[8]
National team Year Apps Goals
United States 1998 1 0
1999 0 0
2000 5 1
2001 5 0
2002 9 1
2003 1 0
2004 0 0
2005 7 1
2006 4 0
Total 32 3
Scores and results list the United States' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each O'Brien goal.
List of international goals scored by John O'Brien
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 August 16, 2000 Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States  Barbados 4–0 7–0 2002 World Cup qualification
2 June 5, 2002 Suwon, South Korea  Portugal 1–0 3–2 2002 FIFA World Cup
3 July 21, 2005 East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States  Honduras 1–1 2–1 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup

Honors

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Ajax

United States

Individual

Notes

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  1. ^ O'Brien was the second American ever to play for the 1st team of Ajax, the first being Eddy Hamel who played for the club from 1922 to 1930.

References

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  1. ^ "2006 FIFA World Cup Germany: List of Players: United States" (PDF). FIFA. March 21, 2014. p. 32. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 10, 2019.
  2. ^ John O’Brien is hard op weg doctor in de psychologie te worden vice.com
  3. ^ "Arena names USA squad". FIFAWorldCup.com. May 2, 2006.
  4. ^ "O'Brien is USA's Dutch treat". USAtoday.com. December 2, 2002.
  5. ^ "O'Brien retires" Archived 2008-06-14 at the Wayback Machine. MLS Magazine.
  6. ^ "About Dr. John O'Brien".
  7. ^ John O'Brien. MLSnet.com. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
  8. ^ "O'Brien, John". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
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