Fran O'Brien (footballer)

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Fran O'Brien
Personal information
Full name Fran O'Brien
Date of birth April 7, 1955 (1955-04-07) (age 53)
Place of birth    Dublin, Ireland
Height 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Playing position Coach
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
1974-1978
1978-1980
1981-1982
1983-1984
1984-1985
Bohemians
Philadelphia Fury
Montreal Manic
Vancouver Whitecaps
Dallas Sidekicks
620(1)
70 (12)
56 0(9)
49 (11)
43 (13)   
National team
1978 Ireland 4 (0)
Teams managed
2007 Tacoma Tide

1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only.
* Appearances (Goals)

Fran O'Brien was an Irish soccer player during the 1970s and 1980s. He was the first player to be capped for the Republic of Ireland playing in U.S., earning a total of four caps.

He won a league winners medal with Bohemians in 1974/75. During his career with Bohs, Fran made 62 league appearances with 1 goal and 8 appearances in European competition scoring 1 goal.

In 1978, O'Brien moved to the Philadelphia Fury of the North American Soccer League (NASL). When the Fury moved to Montreal after the 1980 season, O'Brien went with the team and spent the next two seasons with the renamed Montreal Manic. In 1983, he signed with the Vancouver Whitecaps and spent the next two season with them. In 1984, he was a second team NASL All Star with the Whitecaps.

When the NASL folded at the end of the 1984 season, O'Brien signed with the Dallas Sidekicks of Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL). The Sidekicks released him on September 10, 1985 and he moved to the Tacoma Stars. He spent two seasons with the Stars before retiring and settling in Washington State.

He is the current head coach of Tacoma Tide of the amateur USL Premier Development League in the U.S.[1]

He is the father of Leighton O'Brien and Ciaran O'Brien, brother of Derek O'Brien and the uncle of Mark O'Brien.

[edit] Honours

[edit] External links