Josh O'Brien

For the rower, see Joshua O'Brien (rower).

Joshua Manfred O'Brien (born 7 February 2003) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a defender for USL Championship club Indy Eleven.

Josh O'Brien

O'Brien playing for Salford in October 2022
Personal information
Full name	Joshua Manfred O'Brien
Date of birth	(2003-02-07) 7 February 2003 (age 22)
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

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]

Career

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]

Personal

O'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

As of match played 27 October 2024^[14]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup[a]		League cup[b]		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Salford City	2022-23	League Two	2	0	0	0	0	0	2[c]	0	4	0
Telford United (loan)	2022-23	National League North	10	1	0	0	—		1[d]	0	11	1
Hamilton Academical	2023-24	Scottish League One	8	0	0	0	0	0	2[e]	0	10	0
Indy Eleven	2024	USL Championship	25	1	5	0	—		0	0	30	1
Career total			45	2	5	0	0	0	5	0	55	2

1. Includes FA Cup, Scottish Cup, U.S. Open Cup
2. Includes EFL Cup, Scottish League Cup
3. Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
4. Appearance(s) in FA Trophy
5. Appearance(s) in Scottish Challenge Cup

References

1. 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.
2. "Josh O'Brien". Salford City Football Club. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
3. "EFL Trophy (Sky Sports)". Sky Sports. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
4. Cox, Lewis (20 December 2022). "Kevin Wilkin hoping Telford loanee will be success". Shropshire Star. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
5. "Josh O'Brien joins AFC Telford United on loan". Salford City Football Club. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
6. McGilvray, Andy (2023-08-05). "Hamilton Accies boss not finished in transfer market despite double signing". Daily Record. Retrieved 2024-02-01.
7. "Indy Eleven Announces Addition of Defender Josh O'Brien". Indy Eleven. Retrieved 2024-02-01.
8. Healy, Tommy. "Irish American defender Josh O'Brien signs with USL Championship team Indy Eleven". extratime.com. Retrieved 2024-02-01.
9. "Recap - OAK 2:1 IND". Indy Eleven. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
10. "RECAP - PIT 1:2 IND". Indy Eleven. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
11. "Indy Eleven Announces Returnees for 2025". Indy Eleven. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
12. "Indy Eleven Announces Signing of Notre Dame Standout Ethan O'Brien". Indy Eleven. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
13. HNT. "News | HuntsvilleCityFC.com". HNT. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
14. Josh O'Brien at Soccerway. Retrieved 20 February 2025.

External links

• Josh O'Brien at Soccerway.com
• Josh O'Brien at FBref.com