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John O'Brien
Personal information
Full name	John Patrick O'Brien
Date of birth	August 29, 1977 (1977-08-29) (age 30)
Place of birth	Los Angeles, CA, United States
Height	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Playing position	Midfielder
Club information
Current club	Unattached
Youth clubs
1994-98	Ajax
Senior clubs1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1998-99 1999-2005 2005-06 2006	→ FC Utrecht(on loan) Ajax ADO Den Haag Chivas USA	19 (2) 64 (3) 3 (0) 2 (0)
National team2
1998–	United States	32 (3)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 20 April 2006. 2 National team caps and goals correct as of 17 June 2006. * Appearances (Goals)

John Patrick O'Brien (born on August 29, 1977 in Los Angeles, California) is an American soccer player, one of the first Americans to earn a starting spot with a major European team, which he did with Ajax Amsterdam. United States teammate Landon Donovan called O'Brien the "best soccer player in the USA." [1] He was released by C.D. Chivas USA of Major League Soccer following the 2006 season, making him eligible to play overseas without a transfer fee. O'Brien has been invited to Chivas training camp for the 2007 season, but cannot sign with any other MLS club unless his rights are acquired via trade.

O'Brien attended Brentwood High School, had his first trial with Ajax at the age of 14 and signed an amateur contract with the Dutch giants in 1994 as a 17-year old. After two years on their youth teams, Ajax offered O'Brien a professional contract in 1998. He spent the 1998-99 season on loan to FC Utrecht and made his Ajax debut in 1999. He became a regular for the team, usually playing at left back, winning the Eredivisie in 2002 and 2004. Unfortunately, chronic injuries have limited O'Brien's playing time in recent years. He left Ajax for ADO Den Haag in February 2005. After one injury-riddled season, in which he only played three games for the club, O'Brien came to MLS for the first time, to sign with hometown Chivas USA.

With the United States, O'Brien earned his first cap against Austria on April 22, 1998 but was an alternate for the U.S. squad for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He played in the 2000 Summer Olympics, helping to lead the U.S. to a fourth-place finish. O'Brien became a regular with the senior team under Bruce Arena, and came into his own at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Playing in defensive midfield, he scored the opener in the 3-2 win over Portugal, assisted on Clint Mathis' goal against South Korea, and played every minute of every game for the United States. On May 2nd, 2006, for the second successive time, O'Brien was named to the US roster for the FIFA World Cup in Germany. He played the second half of the US's opening game against the Czech Republic, albeit with a nagging injury, which kept him out for the duration of the tournament.

• John O'Brien articles on Yanks Abroad
• John O'Brien's bio on usolympicteam.com

• List of current MLS players

v • d • e United States squad - 2002 FIFA World Cup
1 Friedel • 2 Hejduk • 3 Berhalter • 4 Mastroeni • 5 O'Brien • 6 Regis • 7 Lewis • 8 Stewart • 9 Moore • 10 Reyna • 11 Mathis • 12 Agoos • 13 Jones • 14 Cherundolo • 15 Wolff • 16 Llamosa • 17 Beasley • 18 Keller • 19 Meola • 20 McBride • 21 Donovan • 22 Sanneh • 23 Pope • Coach: Arena

v • d • e United States squad - 2006 FIFA World Cup
1 Howard • 2 Albright • 3 Bocanegra • 4 Mastroeni • 5 O'Brien • 6 Cherundolo • 7 Lewis • 8 Dempsey • 9 Johnson • 10 Reyna • 11 Ching • 12 Berhalter • 13 Conrad • 14 Olsen • 15 Convey • 16 Wolff • 17 Beasley • 18 Keller • 19 Hahnemann • 20 McBride • 21 Donovan • 22 Onyewu • 23 Pope • Coach: Arena