Bryan Byrne
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Bryan Byrne | ||
| Date of birth | 26 August 1982 | ||
| Place of birth | Kilkenny, Republic of Ireland | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Castle Villa A.F.C. | |||
| Colaiste Lorcain | |||
| 2003–2006 | UC Santa Barbara Gauchos | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2002–2003 | Kildare County F.C. | 7 | (0) |
| 2006 | San Fernando Valley Quakes | 4 | (2) |
| 2007 | New England Revolution | 1 | (0) |
| 2008–2009 | Ventura County Fusion | 22 | (1) |
| 2009–2013 | Doxa Italia | ||
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
Bryan Byrne (born 26 August 1982) is a retired Irish footballer. He played in Europe and the United States.
Playing career
Youth and college
Byrne started his career at his local club, Castle Villa, and was a captain at age 19. From there, Byrne was signed by Kildare County's then-manager Dermot Keely during the 2002–03 season. He was awarded an athletic scholarship later that season by the University of California, Santa Barbara, men's soccer team and moved to the United States.[1]
Byrne made a big impression on the college soccer scene, playing an integral part at midfield and co-captaining the Gauchos to the 2006 NCAA title. Byrne played 77 times for UCSB, scoring 11 goals and adding 19 assists. He played a key role in the Gauchos' six-game run to the team's maiden College Cup title. He was also selected to the all-College Cup team following the side's 2–1 victory over UCLA in the championship match.
Byrne also played with the San Fernando Valley Quakes in the USL Premier Development League, scoring two goals in four appearances.
Professional
Byrne was drafted in the third round (38th overall) of the 2007 MLS SuperDraft by the New England Revolution[2] and manager Steve Nicol, a former Liverpool player. There had been talk that Byrne would be signed with LA Galaxy, before David Beckham signed with the Los Angeles team.[3][4] Byrne signed a contract with New England Revolution on 13 April 2007 when the Revolution cleared roster space by waiving former UCSB teammate Tony Lochhead.[5] He made his professional debut the following week.[6] He was waived at the end of the season, and subsequently signed for Ventura County Fusion.
Byrne went on to play two seasons with Fusion, helping them to the USL Premier Development League championship in 2009. He was released by Fusion at the end of 2009 as a result of the PDL's age restrictions.
Post-professional & amateur
Byrne has since been playing with Los Angeles Celtic in the men's amateur Los Angeles Premier League,[7] and for Doxa Italia in the USASA Coast Soccer League[8] Byrne also has the honour of being Doxa Italia's first ever goal scorer in the Lamar Hunt Open Cup[9]
Byrne has since been playing recreational soccer in Sacramento's adult soccer leagues, leading his team to success in the 18+ Division One league.
Personal
Byrne currently owns and runs a website[10] where he talks about soccer cleats, SoccerCleats101.[11]
Honors
Ventura County Fusion
- USL Premier Development League Champions (1): 2009
UC Santa Barbara
References
- ↑ Byrne UCSB Profile UCSB Gaucho
- ↑ Daily Nexus Article
- ↑ Beckham Burns Byrne TheSun.co.uk
- ↑ Update on Bryan Byrne experience in the US The Carlow Nationalist
- ↑ "Scoreboard: Transactions". The Index-Journal (Greenville, South Carolina). 14 April 2007. Retrieved 12 February 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Byrne Profile Revolution Soccer
- ↑ http://www.lapremierleague.com/?opt=viewteam&id=0008&sid=000000000001
- ↑ 2010–11 Doxa Italia roster.
- ↑ Fusion fight back for win VCStar
- ↑ Castledermot's Byrne A Role Model Irish Examiner USA
- ↑ About Soccer Cleats 101
External links
- New England Revolution player profile at the Wayback Machine (archived October 14, 2007)
- UC Santa Barbara player profile
- Kildare County player profile
- Kildare County player profile at the Wayback Machine (archived February 7, 2003)