"Thank you, John" - Ajax and O'Brien part ways
American Ajacied to join ADO Den Haag
after alternative treatment in U.S.
21 February: After having worn the red and white of
Ajax for eleven years, of which almost seven as a professional,
the Ajax career of John O'Brien has come to an abrupt end. At
John's own request, Ajax dissolved his contract, which would
have expired at 30 June of this year, effective immediately.
O'Brien (27), who has battled against Achilles and hamstring
injuries throughout the past two seasons, will
- surprisingly - join Eredivisie outfit ADO Den Haag
after having undergone two months of
alternative physiotherapy in the United States in order to
get 100% fit.
Does O'Brien's sudden departure from the Amsterdam ArenA
come as a surprise?
Yes and no.
No, because the injury-prone left fullback of Ajax and
midfielder of the American national team has been 'out' for
most of the past two seasons. He battled for recovery, but
always seemed to experience setbacks when the first
team seemed back in sight. His
contract extension of April 2004 was a relief to John
and his fans. It was a one year deal only. The chance
that Ajax would have offered him another extension at season's
end seemed small, for the simple fact that O'Brien hardly saw
first team action in the ten months after penning his new
deal.
On the other hand: yes, it is
a unexpected departure. Ajax currently play with a
left fullback who's originally a midfielder (Maxwell) and
loaned their only major talent for the left zone of
the defense (Thomas Vermaelen) out to RKC Waalwijk.
Besides, O'Brien seemed close to match fitness: he played
several games for Young Ajax, returned to the Ajax-1 bench on
06 February for the Eredivisie game against FC Twente and
played the full 90 minutes in Ajax's friendly against Ghana on
09 February. A return to first team action seemed ahead. It
would have been O'Brien's first Ajax-1 appearance since the
Eredivisie away game at Willem II on
07 November 2004. That game can now be put on
record as O'Brien's last official game for Ajax.
The key question: why did O'Brien suddenly ask Ajax
to let him go? Because he's had another backlash and wants to
take his time for treatment in the U.S. without the
pressure of being under contract in Amsterdam? Or did he
lose hope because Ronald Koeman overlooked him for recent
Eredivisie games and stated on 13 February that he had "no
other options" in midfield than Anthony Obodai and Young Ajax's
Rasmus Lindgren, ignoring the fact that O'Brien is originally a
midfielder?
The former seems more likely than the latter. O'Brien seemed
ready for a return to the first team after the Ghana friendly,
but was never in the squad after that date. His announcement
that he will return to the U.S. for alternative physio
treatment before joining ADO Den Haag
suggests that another backlash has occurred. It seems
more likely that the unexpected, rather sudden interest from
The Hague was the reason for O'Brien to ask Ajax to dissolve
his contract. The club decided to co-operate, granting a free
transfer to the American - who is only 27 years old, yet one of
Ajax's veterans.
John O'Brien (born Los Angeles, California, 29 August 1977)
started playing football at California Flyers FC and was first
invited on a try-out at Ajax in 1992. Co Adriaanse,
Ajax's director of the youth academy at the time, was impressed
with O'Brien's qualities, visited him at home in California and
landed the American permanently in the summer of 1994. O'Brien
entered the prestigious Ajax youth system just before his 17th
birthday, initially playing for Ajax A1 and Ajax-2. He made a
fine impression and was offered his first professional
contract on 04 March 1998 (effective: 01 July 1998).
O'Brien's début in the Eredivisie followed
shortly thereafter, but it was not for Ajax: the Amsterdam club
loaned him out to FC Utrecht for the 1998-1999 season.
O'Brien had 19 Eredivisie appearances for the Utrecht club, in
which he scored two goals (including a long range rocket
past Edwin van der Sar in the home game against Ajax). In
January 1999, however, O'Brien picked up an injury that kept
him sidelined for the large part of the second half of the
season.
Having returned to Ajax in the summer of 1999 O'Brien's
début for Ajax-1 was a fact on 16 September of
that year: he replaced Aron Winter in the UEFA Cup home fixture
against Dukla Banska Bystrica. O'Brien had 16
Eredivisie appearances (one goal) for Ajax that season and
the future looked bright for the American, especially as the
man who scouted him, Co Adriaanse, became Ajax's new head-coach
that summer.
The 2000-2001 season, however, was the first for O'Brien to
be overshadowed by persistent injury trouble: he picked up an
Achilles' injury in pre-season and when he finally returned to
the team on 03 May 2001 at RKC
Waalwijk the season was almost over. He had only four Ajax-1
appearances that season.
The reward for his patience followed the season thereafter.
The 2001-2002 season still stands as the best of John
O'Brien's career: he was a starter in the Ajax team that
left the 'years of crisis' behind and won the 'double'
(Eredivisie championship and Amstel Cup) in The Netherlands.
O'Brien saw action in 27 out of 34 league games, scored twice
and was selected by Team USA boss Bruce Arena for the
World Cup in Japan and South Korea. Over there, John O'Brien
scored the unforgettable first goal against Portugal that
marked the start of a memorable World Cup campaign for the
Americans. O'Brien was voted 'Best Midfielder of the
Tournament' and became a star overnight. As of 21
February 2005 O'Brien had played 21 matches for his
country.
As a sidenote... Ajax USA will forever claim that O'Brien's
had his big break thanks to box of delicious Thin Mints
from the Girl Scouts of America, which we presented to him
during our annual pilgrimage to Amsterdam in March 2002. The
'Girlscout Cookies for J.O.B.' have since become an Ajax USA
tradition (a tradition that has now ended, you say...? Ha!
We're not giving up that easily!).
In retrospective, and with all due respect for the good
handful of important appearances that O'Brien had for Ajax-1
since the start of the 2002-2003 season, it is a sad
but fair conclusion that the trouble started after that.
O'Brien picked up an injury in the Eredivisie away game at RBC
Roosendaal on 21 September 2002 and
missed the large part of the first half of the season,
including the beginning of Ajax's memorable 2002-2003 run in
the Champions League. He returned to first team action on
02 March 2003, at home against
Vitesse, and saw action in some of Ajax's most memorable
European fixtures of that year (including Valencia at home, AS
Roma away and the AC Milan quarter final games). However, he
finished the season with only 13 Eredivisie appearances.
And it only got worse. To cut a long story short: due
to various hamstring and Achilles injuries, John
O'Brien only had four league appearances during Ajax's quest
for the Eredivisie title of 2003-2004 and only one this
season, at Willem II in November 2004. Ajax USA interviewed him
twice during this long, sometimes dark period of recovery (once
on 31 December
2003 and once in August 2004),
but - in spite of his optimism and admirable
fighting spirit - the injuries kept haunting him. He
never made it back to the first team for more than an
appearance or two.
And now, a few months earlier than expected, the
moment has arrived, after 81 official games for Ajax: 62
in the Eredivisie, 12 in UEFA competition, 6 in the Amstel Cup
and 1 for the Johan Cruyff Shield. (O'Brien, by the
way, also played 33 friendlies for Ajax, in which he
scored three goals).
Perhaps we could see it coming. But not as early as this. It
comes as a shock to every Ajax supporter and to Ajax USA in
particular. John was a friend of Ajax USA. Every year, during
our Ajax USA trip to Amsterdam, he was available for a chat,
some pictures, a laugh. John O'Brien is a football
player who never fails on the
pitch, but also a person who never fails
off the pitch. A class act, that's what this dude
is. In every thinkable way.
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ALWAYS A GENTLEMAN, ALWAYS A
FRIEND...
John, we know you'll read this sooner or later.
Thank you very, very much for all those years. We wish
you all the best for the future. You
will beat those bloody injuries and be
great for ADO Den Haag and Team USA. No doubt about it.
And whatever happens, you can count on our support
(well, okay, maybe not during a game or
two per season...). Take care, John. We'll
definitely see you around. - Menno
A lucky few of us had the opportunity to
meet John O'Brien during his long (11 year!) stay at
Ajax Amsterdam. And Ajax and US Soccer simply
never had a more pleasant, unassuming and gracious
representative. On behalf of Ajax USA,
and especially from me personally, I want to
say THANK YOU to John, for always taking the time
to make us feel welcome and part of the Ajax family. I
wish you great success in what will be (I'm very
confident about this) a brilliant "second career" of
football outside of Amsterdam. We, the annual pilgrims
to the ArenA, will miss you tremendously, but we
understand and are 100% on your side. All the best,
mate. - Jim
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Sources: Ajax.nl, VI.nl
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