John O'Brien
| Date of birth | 29 August 1977 |
| Place of birth | Los Angeles |
| Nationality | American |
| Weight | 73 kg |
| Height | 1.78 m |
| Position | Midfielder |
O'Brien is a versatile central midfield player who is a product of the Ajax youth system.
He spent the whole of the 1998-99 season on loan with Utrecht where he gained some much-needed senior experience and on his return began to establish himself in the first team.
He was first capped for the USA in April 1998 and was in the 1998 World Cup Finals squad. He forged a good understanding with Claudio Reyna in midfield in his subsequent international appearances.
A member of the squad that narrowly missed out on the bronze medal at the Sydney Olympics he is regarded as a key member of the team.
O'Brien answered his critics by scoring USA's third goal after only 36 minutes of their opening game in the 2002 World Cup finals in the 3-2 win over Portugal. It was the first time they'd scored more than twice in a World Cup finals game since they beat Mexico 4-2 in Rome in 1934.
Club history
| Team | Joined | Left | Loan / Trialist |
|---|---|---|---|
| FC Utrecht | 01 Jul 1998 | 30 Jun 1999 | L |
| Ajax | 01 Jul 1999 | 31 Dec 2004 | |
| ADO Den Haag | 01 Jan 2005 | 31 Dec 2005 | |
| Southern California Chivas | 01 Jan 2006 |
Club stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Goals | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000-01 | Ajax | Dutch KPN Telecompetitie | 4 |
1
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| 2001-02 | Ajax | Dutch KPN Telecompetitie | 11 | 2 |
2 |
1
|
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| 2001-02 | Ajax | UEFA Cup | 2 | 1 |
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| 2002-03 | Ajax | UEFA Champions League | 5 |
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
Club matches
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03 May 2001 | RKC Waalwijk v Ajax | D | 2-2 | Dutch KPN Telecompetitie | |
| 17 May 2001 | Ajax v Vitesse Arnhem | L | 1-2 | Dutch KPN Telecompetitie | |
| 20 May 2001 | Twente Enschede v Ajax | W | 1-3 | Dutch KPN Telecompetitie | |
| 27 May 2001 | Ajax v AZ Alkmaar | W | 5-1 | Dutch KPN Telecompetitie | |
| 23 Sep 2001 | Ajax v Sparta Rotterdam | D | 0-0 | Dutch KPN Telecompetitie | |
| 27 Sep 2001 | Apollon Limassol v Ajax | D |
0-0 Agg: 0-0 |
UEFA Cup | 1st round 2nd leg |
| 30 Sep 2001 | FC Groningen v Ajax | D | 0-0 | Dutch KPN Telecompetitie | |
| 10 Oct 2001 | Ajax v NEC Nijmegen | D | 0-0 | Dutch KPN Telecompetitie | |
| 13 Oct 2001 | RKC Waalwijk v Ajax | D | 0-0 | Dutch KPN Telecompetitie | |
| 18 Oct 2001 | FC København v Ajax | D | 0-0 | UEFA Cup | 2nd round 1st leg |
| 24 Oct 2001 | Heerenveen v Ajax | D | 0-0 | Dutch KPN Telecompetitie | |
| 28 Oct 2001 | Ajax v Willem II | D | 0-0 | Dutch KPN Telecompetitie | |
| 01 Nov 2001 | Ajax v FC København | D |
0-0 Agg: 0-0 |
UEFA Cup | 2nd round 2nd leg |
| 04 Nov 2001 | De Graafschap v Ajax | D | 0-0 | Dutch KPN Telecompetitie | |
| 18 Nov 2001 | Ajax v NAC Breda | D | 0-0 | Dutch KPN Telecompetitie | |
| 25 Nov 2001 | Ajax v PSV Eindhoven | D | 0-0 | Dutch KPN Telecompetitie | |
| 04 Dec 2001 | Ajax v Fortuna Sittard | D | 0-0 | Dutch KPN Telecompetitie | |
| 15 Dec 2001 | Roda JC v Ajax | D | 0-0 | Dutch KPN Telecompetitie | |
| 19 Dec 2001 | Ajax v Vitesse Arnhem | D | 0-0 | Dutch KPN Telecompetitie | |
| 23 Dec 2001 | FC Utrecht v Ajax | D | 0-0 | Dutch KPN Telecompetitie | |
| 17 Sep 2002 | Ajax v Olympique Lyonnais | D | 0-0 | UEFA Champions League | Group D |
| 11 Mar 2003 | Ajax v Valencia | D | 0-0 | UEFA Champions League | Phase 2 group B |
| 19 Mar 2003 | AS Roma v Ajax | D | 0-0 | UEFA Champions League | Phase 2 group B |
| 08 Apr 2003 | Ajax v AC Milan | D | 0-0 | UEFA Champions League | Quarter-final 1st leg |
| 23 Apr 2003 | AC Milan v Ajax | D |
0-0 Agg: 0-0 |
UEFA Champions League | Quarter-final 2nd leg |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
International stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Goals | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-97 | USA | Toulon Under-21 | 1 | ||||
| 1996-97 | USA | World Youth Cup | 4 | ||||
| 1997-98 | USA | International Friendly | 1 |
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| 1999-00 | USA | International Friendly | 1 | ||||
| 1999-00 | USA | Olympics | 4 | 1 |
2
|
||
| 1999-00 | USA | US Nike Cup | 2 | ||||
| 2000-01 | USA | FIFA World Cup | 1 | 3 |
1 |
||
| 2000-01 | USA | International Friendly | 1 | ||||
| 2000-01 | USA | Olympics | 6 |
1
|
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| 2001-02 | USA | FIFA World Cup | 7 | 2 |
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| 2001-02 | USA | International Friendly | 4 | ||||
| 2002-03 | USA | International Friendly | 1 | ||||
| 2005-06 | USA | CONCACAF Gold Cup | 5 | 1 |
1 |
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| 2005-06 | USA | FIFA World Cup | 1 | 1 |
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| 2005-06 | USA | International Friendly | 2 | 1 |
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
International matches
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 May 1997 | Scotland v USA | D | 1-1 | Toulon Under-21 | Group A |
| 17 Jun 1997 | China PR v USA | W | 0-1 | World Youth Cup | Group C |
| 19 Jun 1997 | Republic of Ireland v USA | L | 2-1 | World Youth Cup | Group C |
| 22 Jun 1997 | Ghana v USA | L | 1-0 | World Youth Cup | Group C |
| 25 Jun 1997 | Uruguay v USA | L | 3-0 | World Youth Cup | Group F |
| 22 Apr 1998 | Austria v USA | W | 0-3 | International Friendly | |
| 12 Mar 2000 | USA v Tunisia | D | 1-1 | International Friendly | |
| 21 Apr 2000 | USA v Honduras | W | 3-0 | Olympics | North and Central America final round group D |
| 25 Apr 2000 | USA v Canada | D | 0-0 | Olympics | North and Central America final round group D |
| 28 Apr 2000 | USA v Guatemala | W | 4-0 | Olympics | North and Central America final round semi-final |
| 30 Apr 2000 | USA v Honduras | L | 1-2 | Olympics | North and Central America final round group D |
| 06 Jun 2000 | USA v Republic of Ireland | D | 1-1 | US NIKE CUP | |
| 11 Jun 2000 | USA v Mexico | W | 3-0 | US NIKE CUP | |
| 16 Aug 2000 | USA v Barbados | W | 7-0 | FIFA World Cup | CONCACAF semi-final group E |
| 03 Sep 2000 | USA v Guatemala | W | 1-0 | FIFA World Cup | CONCACAF semi-final group E |
| 13 Sep 2000 | USA v Czech Republic | D | 2-2 | Olympics | Finals Group C |
| 16 Sep 2000 | USA v Cameroon | D | 1-1 | Olympics | Finals Group C |
| 19 Sep 2000 | USA v Kuwait | W | 3-1 | Olympics | Finals Group C |
| 23 Sep 2000 | USA v Japan | W | 2-2 (5-4) | Olympics | Quarter-final |
| 26 Sep 2000 | Spain v USA | L | 3-1 | Olympics | Semi-final |
| 29 Sep 2000 | USA v Chile | L | 0-2 | Olympics | 3rd place |
| 07 Jun 2001 | USA v Ecuador | D | 0-0 | International Friendly | |
| 16 Jun 2001 | Jamaica v USA | D | 0-0 | FIFA World Cup | CONCACAF finals |
| 20 Jun 2001 | USA v Trinidad and Tobago | W | 2-0 | FIFA World Cup | CONCACAF finals |
| 07 Oct 2001 | USA v Jamaica | W | 2-1 | FIFA World Cup | CONCACAF finals |
| 10 Nov 2001 | Trinidad and Tobago v USA | D | 0-0 | FIFA World Cup | CONCACAF finals |
| 13 Feb 2002 | Italy v USA | L | 1-0 | International Friendly | |
| 17 Apr 2002 | Republic of Ireland v USA | L | 2-1 | International Friendly | |
| 16 May 2002 | USA v Jamaica | W | 5-0 | International Friendly | |
| 19 May 2002 | USA v Netherlands | L | 0-2 | International Friendly | |
| 05 Jun 2002 | USA v Portugal | W | 3-2 | FIFA World Cup | Finals Group D |
| 10 Jun 2002 | Korea Republic v USA | D | 1-1 | FIFA World Cup | Finals Group D |
| 14 Jun 2002 | Poland v USA | L | 3-1 | FIFA World Cup | Finals Group D |
| 17 Jun 2002 | Mexico v USA | W | 0-2 | FIFA World Cup | Finals 2nd round |
| 21 Jun 2002 | Germany v USA | L | 1-0 | FIFA World Cup | Finals quarter-final |
| 29 Mar 2003 | USA v Venezuela | W | 2-0 | International Friendly | |
| 07 Jul 2005 | Cuba v USA | W | 1-4 | CONCACAF Gold Cup | Group B |
| 09 Jul 2005 | USA v Canada | W | 2-0 | CONCACAF Gold Cup | Group B |
| 12 Jul 2005 | USA v Costa Rica | D | 0-0 | CONCACAF Gold Cup | Group B |
| 16 Jul 2005 | USA v Jamaica | W | 3-1 | CONCACAF Gold Cup | Quarter-final |
| 21 Jul 2005 | Honduras v USA | W | 1-2 | CONCACAF Gold Cup | Semi-final |
| 24 Jul 2005 | USA v Panama | W | 0-0 (3-1) | CONCACAF Gold Cup | Final |
| 17 Aug 2005 | USA v Trinidad and Tobago | W | 1-0 | FIFA World Cup | CONCACAF 4th Round |
| 11 Apr 2006 | USA v Jamaica | D | 1-1 | International Friendly | |
| 23 May 2006 | USA v Morocco | L | 0-1 | International Friendly | |
| 28 May 2006 | USA v Latvia | W | 1-0 | International Friendly | |
| 12 Jun 2006 | USA v Czech Republic | L | 0-3 | FIFA World Cup | Finals group E |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.