Background
O'Brien, John was born on August 29, 1977 in Los Angeles, California, United States.
screenwriter association football player
O'Brien, John was born on August 29, 1977 in Los Angeles, California, United States.
O'Brien was one of the first Americans to earn a starting spot with a major European team, with Ajax Amsterdam in the late 1990s. At the peak of his career, United States national teammate Landon Donovan called O'Brien the "best soccer player in the USA." After being brought to attention of youth director Co Adriaanse, he 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 limited O'Brien's playing time.
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 club Chivas USA. O'Brien played only one game with Chivas before suffering an injury with the U.S. national team during the 2006 World Cup, and was released by the club following the 2006 season. O'Brien stated that he was done playing in an interview on 11 June 2008.
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. On May 2, 2006, for the second successive time, O'Brien was named to the US roster for the 2006 in Germany.
On June 12, 2006, 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. International goals.