Omar Jarun (Arabic: عمر جعرون;[2] born 10 December 1983) is a Palestinian former footballer who is the assistant coach of Huntsville City in MLS Next Pro.

Omar Jarun
Personal information
Date of birth (1983-12-10) 10 December 1983 (age 40)
Place of birth Kuwait City, Kuwait
Height 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)
Position(s) Centre-back
Team information
Current team
Huntsville City (assistant)
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2002–2003 Memphis Tigers 35 (8)
2004–2005 Dayton Flyers 39 (19)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2004 Fort Wayne Fever 6 (1)
2005 Chicago Fire Premier 2 (0)
2006–2007 Atlanta Silverbacks 45 (1)
2008 Vancouver Whitecaps 24 (1)
2009–2010 Flota Świnoujście 32 (1)
2010 Pogoń Szczecin 12 (0)
2011 FC Tampa Bay 7 (0)
2011–2012 Arka Gdynia 20 (1)
2012–2013 Charleroi 2 (0)
2014 Ottawa Fury 16 (2)
2015 Bharat FC 13 (3)
2016–2017 Peachtree City MOBA 9 (3)
Total 188 (13)
International career
2007–2014 Palestine[1] 15 (0)
Managerial career
2017 Peachtree City MOBA (assistant)
2018 Peachtree City MOBA
2018–2022 Atlanta United (academy)
2023– Huntsville City (assistant)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Jarun has played professionally in the United States, Canada, Poland, Belgium, and India.

Early and personal life

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Jarun was born in Kuwait City, Kuwait to an American mother and a Palestinian father from Tulkarem. Jarun emigrated to the United States during the First Gulf War in 1990; his family escaped after bombs went off and missiles were shot near their apartment.[3] He was raised in Peachtree City, Georgia.[4][5]

Playing career

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Club career

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Jarun played college soccer for the University of Memphis and the University of Dayton, and has played club football for Fort Wayne Fever, Chicago Fire Premier, Atlanta Silverbacks, Vancouver Whitecaps, Flota Świnoujście, Pogoń Szczecin, FC Tampa Bay, Arka Gdynia and Charleroi.[1]

He was released by Pogon on 1 March 2011.[6]

Jarun signed with FC Tampa Bay of the North American Soccer League on 29 March 2011.[7]

Jarun after brief spell with FC Tampa Bay he signed a contract with Arka Gdynia, under Petr Nemec, who was the manager that brought Jarun to Poland when he was the Flota Świnoujście manager.[8]

On 7 January 2014 Jarun signed for NASL club Ottawa Fury FC.[5][9]

Jarun signed for I-League club Bharat FC on 20 March 2015 for an 18-month deal completing the club's Asian player quota.[10][11]

In June 2015 he announced his retirement from professional football.[12][13] However, on 16 April 2016, it was announced that Jarun joined Premier Development League club Peachtree City MOBA.[14]

International career

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Jarun made his international debut for the Palestinian national team in 2007,[1] and has appeared in FIFA World Cup qualifying matches, AFC Challenge Cup, WAFF Championship.[15]

Coaching career

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Following one season as a player for Peachtree City, Jarun became an assistant for the club prior to the 2017 PDL season, as owner Volker Harms took over manager duties. 2017 was a dismal season for MOBA, as they went 2-10-2 and finished last place in the division, failing to qualify for the playoffs for the second straight year. Jarun was named manager of the club for the 2018 season in November 2017, with former Jamaican international Nicholas Addlery being hired as an assistant. Alongside his duties as manager, Jarun was also a member of the MOBA youth coaching staff.[16]

In October 2018 he became manager of the Atlanta United FC Academy.[17]

In June 2021 he became assistant coach of Atlanta United 2 in the USL Championship.

On January 18, 2023, Jarun was named to the first-ever technical staff for MLS Next Pro club Huntsville City, the reserve side for Nashville SC.[18]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Omar Jarun at National-Football-Teams.com
  2. ^ جعرون: الكرة الفلسطينية تطورت بشكل كبير (in Arabic). FIFA. 6 March 2013. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 3 June 2014.
  3. ^ Montague, James (2014). Thirty-one nil : on the road with football's outsiders : a World Cup odyssey. Bloomsbury. p. 20. ISBN 9781408158845.
  4. ^ "Dayton Flyers Host Valparaiso Crusaders in Final Tune Up Before Regular Season" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
  5. ^ a b "Fury FC Add Size and Experience at Centre Back Position Signing Omar Jarun". Ottawa Fury FC. Archived from the original on 8 January 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  6. ^ Omar Jarun odchodzi z Pogoni Archived 21 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine 1.03.2011, pogonszczecin.info
  7. ^ http://www.nasl.com/index.php?id=3&newsid=238 Archived 1 April 2011 at the Wayback Machine [bare URL]
  8. ^ Jarun zagra w Arce Gdynia Archived 6 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine 10.07.2011, futbol.pl
  9. ^ http://www.nasl.com/index.php?id=3&newsid=6108 Archived 7 January 2014 at the Wayback Machine [bare URL]
  10. ^ "Palestine international Omar Jarun becomes Bharat FC's fourth foreign player". 13 March 2015. Archived from the original on 7 July 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  11. ^ Shah, Harsh (13 March 2015). "Bharat FC sign Palestine international Omar Jarun". Goal.com. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  12. ^ Bharat FC [@BharatFC] (9 June 2015). "#BharatFC's Omar Jarun has announced his retirement from professional football! Thanks for everything BIG O! go well!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  13. ^ "Mumbai v Bharat Live Commentary & Result, 30/05/15, I-League | Goal.com". www.goal.com.
  14. ^ Peachtree City MOBA [@MOBASacademy] (16 April 2016). "Former Pro Omar Jarun is joining PDL Team #PeachtreeCityMoba #path2pro" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  15. ^ Omar JarunFIFA competition record (archived)
  16. ^ "MOBA Soccer Academy Announces 2018 PDL Team Peachtree City MOBA Coaches". MOBA Soccer Academy. November 2017. Retrieved 2 January 2017.[permanent dead link]
  17. ^ "Omar Jarun joins Atlanta United's staff". footballpalestine.com. 8 October 2018.
  18. ^ "Huntsville City FC Names Former Premier League Midfielder Jack Collison as the First Head Coach in Team History". MLSNextPro.com. MLS Next Pro. Retrieved 18 January 2023.