Joshua Manfred O'Brien (born 7 February 2003) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a defender for USL Championship club Indy Eleven.
 O'Brien playing for Salford in October 2022 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Joshua Manfred O'Brien | ||
| Date of birth | 7 February 2003 | ||
| Place of birth | Dublin, Ireland | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Indy Eleven | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 20??–2020 | Seattle Sounders FC | ||
| 2020–2021 | De Anza Force | ||
| 2021–2022 | Watford | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022–2023 | Salford City | 2 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | → Telford United (loan) | 10 | (1) |
| 2023–2024 | Hamilton Academical | 8 | (0) |
| 2024– | Indy Eleven | 25 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16:51, 3 November 2024 (UTC) | |||
Early life
editO'Brien was born in Dublin, but moved to the United States at ten weeks old due to a change in his father's job.[1] O'Brien's father is Irish and his mother, Nicole, is German.[1] O'Brien has four brothers; Aran represented Santa Clara University and Ethan played for the University of Notre Dame.[1] O'Brien was educated at Eastside Catholic in Washington state and Archbishop Mitty in California.[1]
Career
editYouth career
editO'Brien began his career with the Crossfire academy, though moved to Northern California to join developmental team De Anza Force in 2020.[1] He attended the University of Washington, but in 2021 put his studies on hold to join English Premier League club Watford on a one-year contract (with the option of a further year) following a successful trial.[1] O'Brien had been recommended to the club by the brother of Northern Ireland international George Saville.[1] O'Brien was released by Watford in the summer of 2022 and joined the development squad at Salford City of EFL League Two.[2]
Professional career
editO'Brien made his senior debut for Salford on 30 August 2022, playing the full ninety minutes of a 2–1 win over Liverpool U21 at Moor Lane,[3] and his first league start came against Northampton Town, keeping a clean sheet in a 1–0 win at Sixfields.[4] On 12 December he joined Telford United on loan.[5]
O'Brien joined Scottish League One side Hamilton Academical in August 2023, making 10 total appearances for the South Lanarkshire club.[6]
On 1 February 2024, Indianapolis-based club Indy Eleven announced the signing of O'Brien ahead of the 2024 USL Championship season.[7] The USL Championship club's owners had been interested in signing O'Brien since he joined Watford's development squad in 2021.[8] O'Brien made his first appearance with the Eleven in their 2–1 season opening defeat against Oakland Roots as a substitute in the 75th minute, replacing Younes Boudadi.[9] O'Brien scored his first goal for the Eleven on 1 June in a 2–1 away win against Pittsburgh Riverhounds.[10] On 20 November 2024, Indy Eleven announced O'Brien would return for the 2025 season.[11]
Personal
editO'Brien's brother, Ethan O'Brien, is also a professional footballer. Ethan joined his brother at Indy Eleven in 2024.[12] Ethan O'Brien was transferred to MLS Next Pro side Huntsville City FC in November 2024.[13]
Career statistics
edit- As of match played 3 November 2024.
| Club | Season | League | Domestic Cup | League Cup | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Salford City | 2022–23[14] | EFL League Two | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Telford United (loan) | 2022–23 | National League North | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 |
| Hamilton Academical | 2023–24 | Scottish League One | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Indy Eleven | 2024 | USL Championship | 25 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 1 |
| Career total | 45 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 57 | 2 | ||
- ^ Appearance(s) in the EFL Trophy
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g Leventhal, Adam (6 August 2021). "Josh O'Brien, the Irish-American who went on trial at Watford and ended up winning a pro deal". The Athletic. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
- ^ "Josh O'Brien". Salford City Football Club. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
- ^ "EFL Trophy (Sky Sports)". Sky Sports. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
- ^ Cox, Lewis (20 December 2022). "Kevin Wilkin hoping Telford loanee will be success". Shropshire Star. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
- ^ "Josh O'Brien joins AFC Telford United on loan". Salford City Football Club. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
- ^ McGilvray, Andy (2023-08-05). "Hamilton Accies boss not finished in transfer market despite double signing". Daily Record. Retrieved 2024-02-01.
- ^ "Indy Eleven Announces Addition of Defender Josh O'Brien". Indy Eleven. Retrieved 2024-02-01.
- ^ Healy, Tommy. "Irish American defender Josh O'Brien signs with USL Championship team Indy Eleven". extratime.com. Retrieved 2024-02-01.
- ^ "Recap - OAK 2:1 IND". Indy Eleven. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
- ^ "RECAP - PIT 1:2 IND". Indy Eleven. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
- ^ "Indy Eleven Announces Returnees for 2025". Indy Eleven. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
- ^ "Indy Eleven Announces Signing of Notre Dame Standout Ethan O'Brien". Indy Eleven. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
- ^ HNT. "News | HuntsvilleCityFC.com". HNT. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
- ^ "Games played by Josh O'Brien in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
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