| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 24 January 2001 | ||
| Place of birth | Dublin, Ireland [1] | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) [1] | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Drogheda United | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Seattle Sounders Academy | |||
| Columbus Crew Academy | |||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019–2023 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 46 | (3) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2024 | Indy Eleven | 3 | (0) |
| 2024 | → Huntsville City (loan) | 15 | (1) |
| 2025 | Huntsville City | 26 | (2) |
| 2025 | Nashville | 0 | (0) |
| 2026– | Drogheda United | 0 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 14:30, 3 December 2025 (UTC) | |||
Ethan O'Brien (born 24 January 2001) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for League of Ireland Premier Division club Drogheda United. His previous clubs are Indy Eleven, Huntsville City and Nashville.
Born in Dublin, Ireland, [1] O'Brien and his family moved to the Bellevue, Washington [2] in the United States when he was two years old due to a change in his father's job. [3] O'Brien's father is Irish and his mother, Nicole, is German. [3] O'Brien has four brothers; Aran represented Santa Clara University and Josh played for the University of Washington. [3] O'Brien attended high school at Eastside Catholic in Washington state. [2]
O'Brien came through the Seattle Sounders Academy and helped the club's U15 team to win the Youdan Trophy Championship and fourth-place finish at Cayman Airways Invitational, before joining the Columbus Crew Academy where he lead them to the quarterfinals of National Development Academy Playoffs. [2] He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame having joined in 2019 and scored 2 goals in 46 appearances for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, captaining the team in his final year in 2023. [4]
On 4 March 2024, O'Brien signed for USL Championship club Indy Eleven. [5] On 16 March 2024, he made his debut in senior football, in a 2–1 win away to Memphis 901. [6] Having made just 4 appearances in the opening 3 months of the season he was loaned out to gain experience. [7]
On 31 May 2024, O'Brien was loaned out to MLS Next Pro club Huntsville City for the rest of the season. [8] [9] On 1 June 2024, he made his debut for the club in a 4–1 win away to Carolina Core. [10] After impressing during his loan spell, he was signed on a permanent basis ahead of the 2025 season. [11] He made a total of 42 appearances during his year and a half with the club, scoring 3 goals. [7]
With Huntsville City a nursery club of Major League Soccer club Nashville, he was called up to Nashville several times in 2025 and made his debut on 21 May 2025 in a 3–2 win away to Orlando City in the U.S. Open Cup. [12]
On 2 December 2025, he returned to his birth country by signing for League of Ireland Premier Division club Drogheda United. [13]
His brother Josh O'Brien is also a professional footballer, with the pair playing together at Indy Eleven in 2024. [14]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup [a] | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Indy Eleven | 2024 [7] | USL Championship | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | |
| Huntsville City (loan) | 2024 [7] | MLS Next Pro | 15 | 1 | — | — | 15 | 1 | ||
| Huntsville City | 2025 [7] | MLS Next Pro | 26 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 [b] | 0 | 27 | 2 |
| Nashville | 2025 [7] | Major League Soccer | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
| Drogheda United | 2026 [7] | LOI Premier Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 [c] | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 44 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 47 | 3 | ||