Ethan O'Brien
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 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 | 2 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 14:30, 3 December 2025 (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 Trophy Championship 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 17 January 2026
| Club | Season | League | National Cup[a] | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Indy Eleven | 2024[7] | USL Championship | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | |
| Huntsville City (loan) | 2024[7] | MLS Next Pro | 15 | 1 | — | — | 15 | 1 | ||
| Huntsville City | 2025[7] | MLS Next Pro | 26 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 27 | 2 |
| Nashville | 2025[7] | Major League Soccer | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
| Drogheda United | 2026[7] | LOI Premier Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[c] | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Total | 44 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 49 | 3 | ||
- ^ Includes U.S. Open Cup & FAI Cup
- ^ Appearance in the 2025 MLS Next Pro Playoffs
- ^ Appearance(s) in the Leinster Senior Cup
References
- ^ a b c "Ethan O'Brien | MLSsoccer.com". mlsnextpro.
- ^ a b c "Ethan O'Brien". Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Official Athletics Website. 15 July 2019.
- ^ a b c 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.
- ^ ""My fight comes from my love for the sport of soccer" | Ethan O'Brien | All Fight". 20 November 2023 – via fightingirish.com.
- ^ "Indy Eleven Announces Signing of Notre Dame Standout Ethan O'Brien".
- ^ "Match Center | USLChampionship.com". www.uslchampionship.com.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Ethan O'Brien Stats | Soccerway". www.soccerway.com.
- ^ "News | HuntsvilleCityFC.com". HNT.
- ^ "Huntsville City acquire midfielder Ethan O'Brien on loan". SixOneFive Soccer. 31 May 2024.
- ^ "Huntsville City FC Takes a 4-1 Win From Carolina Core FC's Home Opener | MLSNEXTPro.com". mlsnextpro.
- ^ "News | HuntsvilleCityFC.com". HNT.
- ^ "Ethan O'Brien makes Nashville SC debut". SixOneFive Soccer. 22 May 2025.
- ^ "Ethan O'Brien signs for Drogheda United – Drogheda".
- ^ Chernoff, Andrew (6 March 2024). "Siblings to play together for Indy Eleven this season".