TAKING THE LONG ROAD TO SUCCESS U.S. STAR O'BRIEN WENT OVERSEAS TO HONE GAME.Byline: MATT ZIMMERMAN Staff Writer Improbably, joyously joy·ous adj. Feeling or causing joy; joyful. See Synonyms at glad1. joy  ous·ly adv. , his opportunity had come. That's what happens when you're on the field for every moment, both pivotal and trivial. And John O'Brien John O'Brien may refer to: In public life:
v. pounced, pounc·ing, pounc·es v.intr. 1. To spring or swoop with intent to seize someone or something: for the goal a scant four minutes into the U.S. national team's 2002 World Cup opener that would send the team to a 3-2 win against favored Portugal and start a run that ended in the quarterfinals. ``Leading into the World Cup, I was feeling good, I felt like I had my spot on the team,'' O'Brien said. ``I was coming off a great season with Ajax. I had been playing at a high level, top of my game.'' O'Brien played every minute of the U.S. team's five games in that World Cup, assisting on Clint Mathis' goal that helped the team tie co-host South Korea 1-1 and ultimately advance from the group stage. The native Southern Californian was also one of six U.S. team members to play every minute of the 2000 Olympics, in which the team advanced to the semifinals before finishing fourth. Though slightly older than the group of U.S. players that was seen as the core of Project 2010 -- the U.S. plan at the time to compete for the World Cup by 2010 -- O'Brien had established himself as a young force within the national team. ``It is a process, in terms of improving the soccer in this country,'' said O'Brien, who usually plays midfield for the national team but also lined up at defender when in Holland. I guess it's a realistic idea to say, Okay, right now we might not be in a situation where we're one of the top teams in the world. But we're going to try to set up things where we can get there.'' Having joined Ajax of Amsterdam, one of Europe's most storied and respected clubs, in 1994 at the age of 16, O'Brien was one of the rare U.S. players who not only never played in Major League Soccer, but also never played a moment of collegiate soccer in his native country. ``You've got to give him a lot of credit, because he did something at the time that was not very common in terms of leaving school to go to Europe,'' said Galaxy midfielder Pete Vagenas (St.Francis High of La Canada Flintridge), a starter on that Olympic team who also briefly played club soccer with O'Brien during high school. ``Here was a kid who took a leap of faith and trusted himself and his own ability to try and get it done over in Europe.'' But sports stardom star·dom n. 1. The status of a performer or entertainer acknowledged as a star. 2. Star performers considered as a group. can be a fickle fick·le adj. Characterized by erratic changeableness or instability, especially with regard to affections or attachments; capricious. [Middle English fikel, from Old English ficol, thing. Since that dream season of 2002, in which he started for an Ajax squad that won the Dutch League (the Eridivisie) and the Dutch domestic Cup, he has experienced the highs of becoming the first American First American may refer to:
O'Brien contributed greatly to the U.S. team's 2005 Gold Cup title and took part in his club team's accomplishments, but his body began to betray him the season after the World Cup. Nagging injuries had caused him to miss time with the national team before, but soon would start a stretch of injury setbacks that sent him from Ajax to ADO Den Haag ADO Den Haag (ADO stands for Alles Door Oefening, Everything Through Practice) is the main football club in the city of The Hague. The club was for a time known as FC Den Haag, with ADO representing the amateur branch of the club. on a free transfer two seasons ago, and ultimately brought him back to the U.S., where he worked to regain his health and was named to this summer's World Cup roster by coach Bruce Arena Bruce Arena (born September 21, 1951 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American soccer coach, currently Head Coach and Sporting Director for Red Bull New York of Major League Soccer and the former coach of the United States men's national soccer team. . ``Every time I'd get close to playing again, I'd get excited, and that's how I've been for the past couple months, probably this whole year,'' O'Brien said of experiencing aches and pains that included groin and hamstring problems. I've been on the field and running, everything's starting to feel better, and this (getting named to the squad) just adds to that. Hopefully all that enthusiasm will help me get through and maintain on the soccer field.'' This spring, O'Brien finally came full circle, signing with Chivas USA in MLS See multilevel security. , and moving back home to Playa playa or pan or flat or dry lake Flat-bottomed depression that is periodically covered by water. Playas occur in interior desert basins and adjacent to coasts in arid and semiarid regions. del Rey Del Rey may refer to:
``It's not a surprise that he grew up with Ajax and he can play on those kinds of teams,'' Chivas coach Bob Bradley
matt.zimmerman@presstelegram.com (562) 499-1338 CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) After playing most of his career with Dutch power Ajax of Amsterdam, John O'Brien has returned to the U.S. and is now playing in the MLS for Chivas USA. Ezra Shaw/Associated Press |
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