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John O'Brien
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John O'Brien
Send to a friendO'Brien attended Brentwood 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 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 Chivas USA.
O'Brien was 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.
O'Brien stated that he is done playing in an interview on June 11, 2008.
