Ciaran Patrick O'Brien (born November 17, 1987) is an American soccer coach and former player.

Early life and education

O'Brien played center midfield for four years at Decatur High School in

Federal Way, Washington Federal Way is a city in King County, Washington, United States. One of the most recently incorporated cities in the county, its population was 101,030 at the 2020 census. Federal Way is the tenth-largest city in Washington and the fifth-large ...

, where he earned

NSCAA The United Soccer Coaches (formerly known as the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)) is an organization of American soccer coaches founded in 1941. It is the largest soccer coaches organization in the world, with more than ...

All-American honors, was a First Team All-South Puget Sound League selection for four straight years, and was selected as the Washington State Gatorade Player of the Year after his senior season. O'Brien initially played

college soccer College soccer is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. It is very prominent in United States, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and as well as in South Africa and the Philippines. The United K ...

for the University of San Diego, where he was a NSCAA Freshman All-American and was named to the All- WCC Second Team, before transferring to

UC Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a public land-grant research university in Santa Barbara, California with 23,196 undergraduates and 2,983 graduate students enrolled in 2021–2022. It is part of the U ...

in his sophomore year. With the UCSB Gauchos, he made the 2007 NCAA Tournament, losing out to national finalists

Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...

. He was named the 2007

Big West The Big West Conference (BWC) is an American collegiate athletic conference whose member institutions participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. The conference was originally formed on July 1, 1969, as the Pacifi ...

Midfielder of the Year with UCSB, as well as the highest scoring player in the Big West with 25 points on seven goals and 11 assists. During his college years O'Brien also played for

Tacoma Tide Sound FC is an American soccer team based in Tacoma, Washington. Founded in 2006, the team most recently played in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. History 2006–2009: Playoffs The Tacoma team was introduced i ...

of the

USL Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league syst ...

, where his father was head coach.

Playing career

O'Brien left UCSB early without graduating, signing a

Generation Adidas Generation Adidas is a joint venture between Major League Soccer and U.S. Soccer aimed at raising the level of young professional soccer talent in the United States. The program, sponsored by Adidas, offers professional-ready players in the U. ...

contract in the process. He was the 5th overall pick in the

2008 MLS SuperDraft The 2008 MLS SuperDraft took place on January 18, 2008 in Baltimore, Maryland. It was the ninth annual Major League Soccer SuperDraft. The first selection was made by the Kansas City Wizards, after acquiring the selection from the expansion San ...

, selected by the

Colorado Rapids The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 1995, as part of the Anschutz Corporation, lat ...

. He made his MLS debut as a substitute in the 71st minute in Colorado's first match of the 2008 season against

Los Angeles Galaxy LA Galaxy, also known as the Los Angeles Galaxy, are an American professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Galaxy competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), as a member of the Western Conference. The club began pla ...

on March 29, 2008, but was sent off in the 90th minute for a tackle on Carlos Ruiz. The tackle tore meniscus in Ruiz right knee leaving him out for an extended period. It was O'Brien's only MLS game of his career so far. O'Brien was sent on loan to

USL First Division The USL First Division (usually referred to as USL-1) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States and Canada from 2005 to 2010. During its existence, it formed the second tier of soccer in the United States soccer league system ...

side,

Seattle Sounders Seattle Sounders Football Club is an American professional men's soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete as a member of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The club was established on November 13, 2007, and began ...

, in August 2008 to gain first team experience. With the Sounders, O'Brien appeared in 5 league games (309 minutes total) tallying 2 assists. He also appeared in a

Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a knockout cup competition in men's soccer in the United States of America. It is the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in that country. The 2023 U.S. O ...

game. However, O'Brien was soon recalled and was back with Colorado at the end of August. In June 2009, O'Brien made a season long loan to

USL-1 The USL First Division (usually referred to as USL-1) was a professional men's Association football, soccer league in the United States and Canada from 2005 to 2010. During its existence, it formed the second tier of soccer in the United States ...

side Austin Aztex. In July 2009, he was signed on a loan from

by Impact de Montréal until the end if the 2009 USL season. During summer 2010, O'Brien trialed with League of Ireland Premier Division side

Sporting Fingal Sporting Fingal Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Fine Gall Spórtúil) was an Irish association football club based in Fingal. Between 2008 and 2010, the club played three seasons in the League of Ireland. During their first two seasons they ...

but a loan deal with Colorado could not be agreed. O'Brien graduated from the MLS

program on November 18, 2010. O'Brien became a MLS free agent when Colorado declined his 2011 contract option and he was not selected in the 2010 MLS Re-Entry Draft. Ciaran O'Brien - 2011-04-09 - Atlanta Silverbacks

Ciaran O'Brien - 2011-04-09 - Atlanta Silverbacks

O'Brien signed with North American Soccer League club Atlanta Silverbacks on March 21, 2011. O'Brien won his first league honors on July 11, 2011, winning the NASL Offensive Player of the Week. Atlanta announced on November 8, 2011 that O'Brien would return for the 2012 season. On February 21, 2013, it was announced that O'Brien had signed with

Carolina RailHawks North Carolina FC is an American professional soccer team in Cary, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh. Founded in 2006, the team plays in USL League One, the third tier of the American league system. The team has played its home games ...

for the 2013 season.

Coaching career

O'Brien was named as an assistant coach of the

UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's soccer The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's soccer team is an NCAA Division I college soccer team composed of student-athletes attending the University of California, Santa Barbara. The Gauchos play their home matches at Harder Stadium. Like most of the ...

team in August 2015.

Personal life

O'Brien is the son of former

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern ...

international player Fran O'Brien, and the brother of fellow professional soccer player Leighton O'Brien.

References

External links

* * * *
UC Santa Barbara player profile

{{DEFAULTSORT:Obrien, Ciaran 1987 births Living people American soccer players Atlanta Silverbacks players Austin Aztex FC players North Carolina FC players Colorado Rapids players Colorado Rapids draft picks Association football midfielders Major League Soccer players Montreal Impact (1992–2011) players North American Soccer League players San Antonio Scorpions players San Diego Toreros men's soccer players Seattle Sounders (1994–2008) players Soccer players from Tacoma, Washington Seattle Sounders FC U-23 players UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's soccer players USL First Division players USL League Two players People from Federal Way, Washington UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's soccer coaches