O'Brian White (born 14 December 1985, in Ocho Rios) is a Jamaican former

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugb ...

who played as a forward.

Career

Youth and college

White grew up in Jamaica before moving to Scarborough,

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

in 2002 to live with his mother. He began playing football while attending

Lester B. Pearson Collegiate Institute Lester B. Pearson Collegiate Institute, also known as LBP, Lester B. Pearson CI, LBPCI, or simply Pearson, is a public high school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located in the Malvern neighbourhood, the school operates grades 9 through 12 under ...

, where he was named the

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a partic ...

of the squad in 2004 and 2005. White 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 Ki ...

at the

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from H ...

. He won the

Hermann Trophy The Hermann Trophy is awarded annually by the Missouri Athletic Club to the United States's top men's and women's college soccer players. History In 1967, Bob Hermann, the president of the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) and th ...

, the highest individual honor in

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athleti ...

soccer and the

Soccer America Player of the Year Award Beginning in 1984, Soccer America Magazine began naming a college player of the year. At the time ''Soccer America'' was the best source for U.S. soccer, especially collegiate soccer which was rarely covered by the national news services. Conseq ...

in 2007.

Professional

After signing a deal with

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Cana ...

, he was selected fourth overall by

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club (commonly known as Toronto FC or TFC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matches at BM ...

in the

2009 MLS SuperDraft The 2009 MLS SuperDraft took place on January 15, 2009 in St. Louis, Missouri. It was the tenth annual Major League Soccer SuperDraft. The first selection was owned by the expansion Seattle Sounders FC. Unlike previous years, the SuperDraft w ...

on 15 January 2009. White made his debut for Toronto FC in an international friendly against the Argentinean side River Plate, at

BMO Field BMO Field is an outdoor stadium located at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, which is home to Toronto FC of Major League Soccer and the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. Constructed on the site of the former ...

on 22 July 2009, and made his MLS debut on 25 July 2009, against the

Columbus Crew The Columbus Crew, formerly known as Columbus Crew SC, is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The Crew competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference and began play in 1996 as one ...

. He scored his first MLS goal on 15 August 2009, against D.C. United. White won his first individual award with Toronto FC after being named MLS Goal of the Week in week 26 for his goal in the 3–2 victory against

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 ...

on 12 September 2009. On 25 April 2010, White scored his first goal on the 2010 Season in a 2–0 win against the

Seattle Sounders FC 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 ...

. White was taken by the

Vancouver Whitecaps FC Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer team based in Vancouver. They compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The MLS iteration of the club was established on March ...

in the 2010 MLS Expansion Draft, but was traded to

three hours afterwards. After undergoing blood clot surgery, White was bought out of his contract by Seattle so that he'd no longer be part of the club's roster. However, he would stay with the club while they supported him during his recovery.

International

White has played for Jamaica's under-15, under-17 and under-20 national teams but through

FIFA FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...

rules he remains eligible to represent either Jamaica or Canada at the senior level. However, in November 2010 White accepted an invitation from the Jamaican Senior Team to play against

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

on the 17th. White did make his debut for Jamaica in the Costa Rica match that ended in a 0–0 draw.

Post-football

In 2014, in an article and interview with the Jamaican '' Gleaner'' newspaper, White discussed the uncertainty regarding his potential return to football, citing the necessity of the use of blood-thinning medication which prevented him from playing even recreationally. He announced his intention to run football clinics, and sanguinely accepted the short-lived nature of a professional footballing career with a positive view of the future.

References

External links

*
University of Connecticut profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:White, Obrian 1985 births Living people UConn Huskies men's soccer players Toronto FC players Seattle Sounders FC players Jamaican expatriates in Canada Jamaican footballers Jamaica youth international footballers Jamaica international footballers Expatriate soccer players in the United States Expatriate soccer players in Canada Jamaican expatriates in the United States Toronto FC draft picks Major League Soccer players Hermann Trophy men's winners All-American men's college soccer players Association football forwards People from Saint Ann Parish