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, where he earned
NSCAA
The United Soccer Coaches (formerly known as the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)) is an organization of United States, American soccer Coach (sport), coaches founded in 1941. It is the largest soccer coaches organization i ...
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 Philippines, the Philippines. Th ...
for the
University of San Diego
The University of San Diego (USD) is a private Roman Catholic research university in San Diego, California. Chartered in July 1949 as the independent San Diego College for Women and San Diego University (comprising the College for Men and Sc ...
, where he was a NSCAA Freshman All-American and was named to the All-
WCC Second Team, before transferring to
UC Santa Barbara 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 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 sy ...
, where his father was head coach.
Playing career
O'Brien left UCSB early without graduating, signing a
Generation Adidas 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, ...
. 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, 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 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 side
Austin Aztex. In July 2009, he was signed on a loan from
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, ...
by
Impact de Montréal until the end if the 2009 USL season.
During summer 2010, O'Brien trialed with
League of Ireland Premier Division
The League of Ireland Premier Division ( ga, Príomhroinn Sraith na hÉireann), also known as the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division for sponsorship reasons, is the top level division in both the League of Ireland and the Republic of Ireland ...
side
Sporting Fingal but a loan deal with Colorado could not be agreed.
O'Brien graduated from the MLS
Generation Adidas 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.

O'Brien signed with
North American Soccer League club
Atlanta Silverbacks
The Atlanta Silverbacks FC were an American professional soccer club based in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1998 as Atlanta Ruckus, the club played in many leagues over the years before folding after the 2015 season. The team played its home gam ...
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 for the 2013 season.
Coaching career
O'Brien was named as an assistant coach of the
UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's soccer 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
Leighton O'Brien (born March 14, 1976 in Tacoma, Washington) is an American soccer player who is serving as the Technical Director for the Pacific Northwest Soccer Club.
O'Brien is noted most significantly for his tenure with the Seattle Sounde ...
.
References
External links
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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