O'Brian White (born 14 December 1985) 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, rugby lea ...

who played as a forward. White played for

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matc ...

and

Seattle Sounders FC Seattle Sounders FC is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The club was established on ...

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

(MLS) and appeared internationally for the

Jamaica national football team The Jamaica national football team, nicknamed the "''Reggae Boyz''", represents Jamaica in men's international Association football, football. The team's first match was against Haiti national football team, Haiti in 1925. The squad is under ...

Career

Youth and college

White grew up in Jamaica before moving to

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, sub ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

in 2002 to live with his mother. He began playing football while attending Lester B. Pearson Collegiate Institute, where he was named the

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player (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 particular competition, or ...

of the squad in 2004 and 2005. White played college soccer at the

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university system with its main campus in Storrs, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1881 as the Storrs Agricultural School, named after two benefactors. In 1893, ...

. 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 division 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 athlet ...

soccer and the Soccer America Player of the Year Award in 2007.

Professional

After signing a deal with

, he was selected fourth overall by

in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft 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. Constructed on the former Exhibition Stadium site and first opened in 2007, it is the home field of Toronto FC of Major League Soccer (MLS) and Toronto Ar ...

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

Columbus Crew The Columbus Crew are an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team began play in 1996 as one of the 10 cha ...

. 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 Association football, soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Founded in ...

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

. White was taken by the

Vancouver Whitecaps FC Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Vancouver. The Whitecaps compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The MLS ite ...

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 The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...

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, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

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 men's footballers 21st-century Jamaican sportsmen Jamaica men's youth international footballers Jamaica men's international footballers Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Expatriate men's 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 college men's soccer players Men's association football forwards Sportspeople from Saint Ann Parish