Top Qs
Timeline
Chat
Perspective
Josh O'Brien
Irish footballer (born 2003) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Remove ads
Joshua Manfred O'Brien (born 7 February 2003) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a defender for USL Championship club Indy Eleven.
Remove ads
Early life
O'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]
Remove ads
Career
Summarize
Perspective
Youth career
O'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
O'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]
O'Brien scored his first goal of the 2025 season, and second for Indy Eleven, in a 1–1 draw against Birmingham Legion FC on 28 June in the USL Cup.[12]
Remove ads
Personal
O'Brien's brother, Ethan O'Brien, is also a professional footballer. Ethan joined his brother at Indy Eleven in 2024.[13] Ethan O'Brien was transferred to MLS Next Pro side Huntsville City FC in November 2024.[14]
Career statistics
- As of match played 2 August 2025.[15]
- Includes FA Cup, Scottish Cup, U.S. Open Cup
- Includes EFL Cup, Scottish League Cup, USL Cup
- Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
- Appearance(s) in Scottish Challenge Cup
Remove ads
References
External links
Wikiwand - on
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Remove ads