Ethan O'Brien

Ethan O'Brien
Personal information
Date of birth (2001-01-24) 24 January 2001
Place of birth Dublin, Ireland[1]
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Position Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Drogheda United
Number 8
Youth career
Seattle Sounders Academy
Columbus Crew Academy
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019–2023 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 46 (3)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2024 Indy Eleven 3 (0)
2024 → Huntsville City (loan) 15 (1)
2025 Huntsville City 26 (2)
2025 Nashville 0 (0)
2026– Drogheda United 12 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 21:02, 11 June 2026 (UTC)

Ethan O'Brien (born 24 January 2001) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for League of Ireland Premier Division club Drogheda United. His previous clubs are Indy Eleven, Huntsville City and Nashville.

Early life

Born in Dublin, Ireland,[1] O'Brien and his family moved to the Bellevue, Washington[2] in the United States when he was two years old due to a change in his father's job.[3] O'Brien's father is Irish and his mother, Nicole, is German.[3] O'Brien has four brothers; Aran represented Santa Clara University and Josh played for the University of Washington.[3] O'Brien attended high school at Eastside Catholic in Washington state.[2]

Career

Early career

O'Brien came through the Seattle Sounders Academy and helped the club's U15 team to win the Youdan Cup and fourth-place finish at Cayman Airways Invitational, before joining the Columbus Crew Academy where he led them to the quarterfinals of National Development Academy Playoffs.[2] He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame having joined in 2019 and scored 2 goals in 46 appearances for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, captaining the team in his final year in 2023.[4]

Indy Eleven

On 4 March 2024, O'Brien signed for USL Championship club Indy Eleven.[5] On 16 March 2024, he made his debut in senior football, in a 2–1 win away to Memphis 901.[6] Having made just 4 appearances in the opening 3 months of the season he was loaned out to gain experience.[7]

Huntsville City

On 31 May 2024, O'Brien was loaned out to MLS Next Pro club Huntsville City for the rest of the season.[8][9] On 1 June 2024, he made his debut for the club in a 4–1 win away to Carolina Core.[10] After impressing during his loan spell, he was signed on a permanent basis ahead of the 2025 season.[11] He made a total of 42 appearances during his year and a half with the club, scoring 3 goals.[7]

Nashville

With Huntsville City a nursery club of Major League Soccer club Nashville, he was called up to Nashville several times in 2025 and made his debut on 21 May 2025 in a 3–2 win away to Orlando City in the U.S. Open Cup.[12]

Drogheda United

On 2 December 2025, he returned to his birth country by signing for League of Ireland Premier Division club Drogheda United.[13]

Personal life

His brother Josh O'Brien is also a professional footballer, with the pair playing together at Indy Eleven in 2024.[14]

Career statistics

As of match played 29 May 2026
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup[a] Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Indy Eleven 2024[7] USL Championship 3010—40
Huntsville City (loan) 2024[7] MLS Next Pro 151——151
Huntsville City 2025[7] MLS Next Pro 262001[b]0272
Nashville 2025[7] Major League Soccer 0010—10
Drogheda United 2026[7] LOI Premier Division 120002[c]0140
Total 5632030613
  1. ↑ Includes U.S. Open Cup & FAI Cup
  2. ↑ Appearance in the 2025 MLS Next Pro Playoffs
  3. ↑ Appearance(s) in the Leinster Senior Cup

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Ethan O'Brien | MLSsoccer.com". mlsnextpro.
  2. 1 2 3 "Ethan O'Brien". Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Official Athletics Website. 15 July 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 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.
  4. ↑ ""My fight comes from my love for the sport of soccer" | Ethan O'Brien | All Fight". 20 November 2023 – via fightingirish.com.
  5. ↑ "Indy Eleven Announces Signing of Notre Dame Standout Ethan O'Brien".
  6. ↑ "Match Center | USLChampionship.com". www.uslchampionship.com.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Ethan O'Brien Stats | Soccerway". www.soccerway.com.
  8. ↑ "News | HuntsvilleCityFC.com". HNT.
  9. ↑ "Huntsville City acquire midfielder Ethan O'Brien on loan". SixOneFive Soccer. 31 May 2024.
  10. ↑ "Huntsville City FC Takes a 4-1 Win From Carolina Core FC's Home Opener | MLSNEXTPro.com". mlsnextpro.
  11. ↑ "News | HuntsvilleCityFC.com". HNT.
  12. ↑ "Ethan O'Brien makes Nashville SC debut". SixOneFive Soccer. 22 May 2025.
  13. ↑ "Ethan O'Brien signs for Drogheda United – Drogheda".
  14. ↑ Chernoff, Andrew (6 March 2024). "Siblings to play together for Indy Eleven this season".
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