John O'Brien

Son of Ajax, Friend to Ajax USA

This page is our homage to John O'Brien, a true son of Ajax and a great friend to Ajax USA. O'Brien is the only American to play for Ajax 1 in the modern era (the first was Eddy Hamel in the 1920s), and he was also the most friendly and open player at the club when it came to making visiting Ajax fans feel welcome. (View these pictures of O'Brien with our group at SoccerWorld during our 2004 Rendezvous.) John has also given Ajax USA numerous interviews over the years.

We actually don't know much about what O'Brien is up to these days. We only know that he's living in Amsterdam, and we presume he's doing fine. Life was never just about football for John.

Player Profile

Positions:     Defense, Midfield
Born:             August 29, 1977
Ajacied:        Summer 1994 - February 2005
Nationality: United States

Life After Ajax

On 05 April, 2005, John O'Brien was presented as the newest member of Chivas of Los Angeles, an upstart expansion team in an upstart league, Major League Soccer in the United States.

"There's no place I'd rather be in MLS," O'Brien said. "This is a great opportunity to get back on the field, and get to playing some games again."

At the press conference, O'Brien talked about is eagerness to re-shape the image created by his recurring fitness problems. "I've been susceptible to injury. I'm hoping to turn that around. Maybe in the next few years I can kind of turn around that image."

O'Brien, with Chivas USA co-owner Antonio Cue and coach Bob Bradley.

Just a few years ago, the earnest American seemed destined for the most impressive professional career among the best-ever class of expatriate American footballers. But each time he seemed to be finding his place on the Ajax first team, another injury (hamstring, achilles, groin) would put him off his stride.

Finally, he and Ajax agreed to part ways in February 2005, paving the way for a move to ADO Den Haag, where made his debut for on August 5 in a friendly at Portsmouth FC's historic Fratton Park and played for 90 minutes. A promising start... but O'Brien would end up playing just three league games for ADO Den Haag.

In a statement on ADO Den Haag's web site in September of 2005, the team's technical director Rob Baan stated: "John O'Brien left for the United States in mid-December, to recover from his persistent injury over there. We have asked him several times to return to The Hague. However, O'Brien lacked the intention to return to our squad. That's why we decided, by mutual consent, to dissolve his contract immediately."

O'Brien's debut for his new club was in a friendly at English Premiership
team Portsmouth FC on 5 August, 2005. [Photo: ADO Den Haag]

At Ajax

When John O'Brien left Ajax for ADO Den Haag in February 2005, he had been wearing the Ajax jersey for ten seasons, from 1994 to 2005 (excepting a one year on loan at FC Utrecht). He was the second American ever to play for Ajax (the first was Eddy Hamel), but the first to join Ajax as a professional in 'modern' football.

The story of John O'Brien's last two seasons at Ajax is sad - and simple: recurring extended absences due to injuries overshadowed the player's remarkable dedication and patience. The American wasn't able to maintain a long stretch of good health and first-team availability since the summer of 2003. However, O'Brien maintained a positive attitude and a phenomenally well disciplined work ethic throughout. Brief spells of outstanding football for both Ajax and the United States -- O'Brien was voted best midfielder of the 2002 World Cup -- were enough to maintain Ajax's interest in his services, until ADO Den Haag showed up and offered O'Brien the chance to make a new start. He had 81 official performances for Ajax's first team, in which he scored three goals.

The 2001-2002 season, which brought bring Ajax the Dutch 'double' (league championship and Dutch cup), was O'Brien's most successful season at the club. Not only did O'Brien play in a majority of games with the first team -- he ended the season fourth on the list of most minutes played for Ajax-1 -- but he also played a significant amount of time at five different positions on the field. He began the season at right midfield (6 games), moved to right defender (3), then to center midfield (7), then to left midfield (4), and ended the season, and played the most matches (9), at left fullback.

O'Brien's energetic run through four Utrecht defenders
set up the decisive goal in Ajax's critical 1-0 victory againstFC Utrecht
on 21 April, 2002. [Photo: Gerard van Hees/Ajax.nl]

Although injuries were again a factor -- keeping him out of nine league and Cup games -- this was in fact O'Brien's healthiest and most productive season at Ajax. No longer a 'fringe' player, he was one of the core set of players around which Koeman built his team for each game.

2001-2002 was also O'Brien's most significant season for the U.S. national team. He moved from the 'bubble' to being one of the 'automatics' who seem virtually guaranteed of playing any significant U.S. match. He played his best-ever game in for the 'Nats' in October 2001 against Jamaica, the game in which the U.S. guaranteed qualification for the World Cup finals in Japan/South Korea. And O'Brien continued to play significant roles for the U.S. team throughout the World Cup preparation campaign, except when unavailable due to Ajax commitments. The actual World Cup tournament in Japan and South Korea was arguably his finest hour: O'Brien scored a shock goal in the 4th minute of the USA's first group game against Portugal. It marked the start of a memorable run for the Americans. O'Brien was voted 'Best Midfielder of the Tournament' and became a star overnight.

Ajax History

John O'Brien 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. In 1997, John played for an Ajax select-team in the prestigious Super Group (U-19) competition in Texas. The championship game, which Ajax lost only after penalty kicks to AC Vitoria of Brazil, was televised nationally in the United States on ESPN2. John's story was featured at half-time.

John made a fine impression in his first years as an Ajax youth player and was offered his first professional three year deal at 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: read this interesting profile of John, translated from the Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant on 11 September, 1998 just before the September 13 match between Ajax and FC Utrecht). In January 1999 O'Brien picked up an injury that kept him sidelined for the large part of the second season's half.

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 undisputed highlighy in John O'Brien's career: he was a start 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 had become a star overnight.

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 Ajax USA presented him during our annual pilgrimage to Amsterdam in March 2002. The 'Girlscout Cookies for J.O.B.' became an Ajax USA tradition. (Maybe we'll deliver some to him in Los Angeles now.)

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 correct 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 the 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 (Valencia at home, AS Roma away and the AC Milan quarter final games), but finished the season with only 13 Eredivisie games.

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 in during Ajax's quest for the Eredivisie title of 2003-2004 and just 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 admireable 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 84 official games for Ajax. 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, as well as a person who never fails off the pitch. A class act, that's what this dude is. In every thinkable way.

John lines up with his Ajax2 teammates in de Meer stadium in 1996.

International Experience

John O'Brien has been an enigmatic figure for U.S. football. His excellent performances in critical games -- most U.S. fans can vividly describe his goals against Jamaica and Portugal -- have been interspersed with long periods of unavailability due to injury. Nevertheless, a healthy O'Brien is always considered an automatic selection for Bruce Arena's U.S. squad.

Overall, O'Brien has played for the United States 21 times. The highlight of his career so far was the summer of 2002: immediately after having won the Dutch championship and the Amstel Cup with Ajax, he had a great World Cup tournament with the U.S. team in Japan and South-Korea. The Americans made it to the quarter finals, and O'Brien was voted best midfielder of the tournament.

Prieviously, O'Brien had been named as an alternate to the U.S. World Cup squad for France '98, but was not named to the final team.

O'Brien earned his first cap with the United States national team on April 22, 1998, when he entered the U.S.A. - Austria friendly in Vienna in the 79th minute. Previously, he had been called up to the national squad in preparation for a friendly with Sweden in January, 1998. However, an injury incurred while training prevented his U.S.A. debut. Previously, John represented the United States in the 1997 Under-20 World Cup in Malaysia and the Under-17 World Cup in Japan in 1993.

Personal

O'Brien grew up in Playa del Rey, California. At the age of 14, John joined the California Flyers soccer club. One of the coaches had contacts in the KNVB, and a visit to Ajax was arranged in 1992.

After a visit to his home in California by Co Adriaanse, John returned to Holland in April of 1994 for a try-out and was accepted into the youth training program in the summer of 1994.

John (second from left) receives instructions from Gerard van der Lem with his Ajax2 teammates in 1996.