American players in Ireland

[Xile]

Hi, I'm working on a feature on American players in Ireland. Limerick had Jamie Wunsch last year. The only one I can think of is Ryan Guy at the moment or in recent years.
Can anybody help?
Thanks a million

[Infadel]

Jamie Duffy at Drogheda United

[pineapple stu]

By "American", you specifically mean the USA, I assume? Been a couple of Canadians, for example (Dave Norman at UCD and Jeff Clarke at Pat's were both full internationals).

Kupono Low is Hawaiian and played for Sligo.

[Dodge]

Nick Brujos is American too, played for a number of clubs (including St Pats, and most notably Sligo Rovers)

[danthesaint]

Nick Brujos is American too, played for a number of clubs (including St Pats, and most notably Sligo Rovers)

was lance friesz a yank??

max cream i think was as well, he had a trial with us according to wiki he played for Shels

[Dodge]

Yeah, forgot about Friesz.

Brad Friedal trained with Pats for a while too before signing for Liverpool

[Cuyahoga]

Alan Mannus was born in Canada and moved to Ireland when he was seven.

[OneRedArmy]

Russell Payne for Derry City in 2001-2002 and then Shamrock Rovers a few years after. Great shotstopper and even better girlfriend.

[Mr A]

Russell Payne for Derry City in 2001-2002 and then Shamrock Rovers a few years after. Great shotstopper and even better girlfriend.

Never knew ye were an item.

[Dunny]

Chris Konopka is a goalkeeper for Waterford afaik.

[Keen2win]

Ian Wexler used to play for Longford, had his own fan club too :) The SRIWFC

[marinobohs]

Chris Konopka is a goalkeeper for Waterford afaik.
yep as Dunny said Chris is now at Waterford, was previously at Bohs (couple of seasons back) as understudy to Murph, decent keeper.

[Magicme]

If we are including the carribean islands which are kinda considered part of the continent of North America (I know they are more central and heading south) then of course you have ex Mons, Sligo, Galway goalkeeper Alvin Rouse.

[artane-shels]

Max Cream - Shels and Cobh

[A N Mouse]

Russell Payne for Derry City in 2001-2002 and then Shamrock Rovers a few years after. Great shotstopper and even better girlfriend.

He's now head of the american army...


... soccer team

coach at west point
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell_Payne_%28soccer%29

[seand]

Dundalk, Drogs, Rovers: Jamie Duffy (born USA)
Shels, Jim Crawford (born USA)
Cork, Neal Horgan (born USA)
Was John Caulfield born in the US or am I imagining that one?

Longford, Ian Wexler
Pats, Ryan Guy
Rovers, Derry: Russell Payne
Waterford, Bohs: Konopka
Also...
Bray, Colin Vint (couple of games 2006)
Waterford, Ben Spicer (2006)
Pats, Lance Friesz (2008)
Dundalk, Bobby Smith 1970s (played for New York Cosmos with Pele etc)
Dundalk, Dave D’Erico 1970s
Kilkenny: Jon Akin, Matthew Nelson and Bryan Jackson c2001

[dublinwanderer]

Bray also had a goalkeeper - Pat Hannigan, played a few games a few years ago, he was from the States...

[pineapple stu]

If we are including the carribean islands which are kinda considered part of the continent of North America (I know they are more central and heading south) then of course you have ex Mons, Sligo, Galway goalkeeper Alvin Rouse.
You've a fair few Carribbean-ers - Eric Lavine, the Sligo lot (Llewellyn Riley & co) and Wes Charles for starters.

[Dodge]

A few of them shouldn't really count as American (Crawford, Horgan, caulfield). Very much Irish all 3

[Ezeikial]

Dundalk, Bobby Smith 1970s (played for New York Cosmos with Pele etc)
Dundalk, Dave D’Erico 1970s

These two arrived at Dundalk in 1975, Smith was a real athlete and excellent right back. D'Errico came with the bigger reputation but stayed only a month (perhaps was encouraged to go home?).

Bobby Smith had an excellent season and quickly became a crowd favourite, before returning to the USA and playing with the Cosmos during the Pele heydey.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Smith_(soccer)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_D%27Errico

[OneForTheFuture]

Max Cream - Shels and Cobh

We all dream of a team of Maxy Creams....

[Onefootednopace]

Cobh Ramblers had an American player called Richie Fleming who made a few appearances in the late 90's. Think he was over here on a break from a soccer scholarship in the States.
Ramblers fans on here might have more info.

[TheBoss]

A few more:

Dwight Barnett (Dundalk)
Mark Bennett (Bohemians)
Scott Garlick (Waterford United)
Michael Hogan (Longford Town)
Mario Longo (Waterford United)
Eóin Lynch (Longford Town)
Eddie McIlvenny (Waterford)
Kirk Miller (Galway United)
Nate Weiss (Longford Town)

[Dodge]

Scott Garlick is a good shout. had a decent career in the MLS when it started

[Longfordian]

We had an American guy play a couple of games for us in 2008, Michael Hogan I think was his name.

Edit: TheBoss got there before me.

[Ezeikial]

A few more:

Dwight Barnett (Dundalk)

Disqualified....cos he is not a football player.

[gspain]

Eddie McIlvenny as mentioned captained the U.S. team that beat England in 1950 in one of the greatest upsets in football history. He later moved here and played for Waterford. He also played for the League of Ireland as well in 1955 v Irish League and both games v Hessen League - he may have made further appearances as well.

He was actually born in Scotland but moved to the U.S. in 1949 and qualified under then FIFA rules on eligibility.

[Acornvilla]

ian wexler was it played for us for 2 seasons after we got relegated

[stann]

All mentioned already but to fill in a few details on the Waterford lot:

Currently, Chris Konopka is at the club, born in Toms River New Jersey, played U-23 for the USA.
Notably won the FAI Cup in back-to-back years, 2008 with Bohs, last year with Sporting Fingal.

Ben Spicer, who was at Waterford in 2006-2008 (though with the bones of a year out in Australia), was also born in New York, though would probably consider himself a Cork man, and has Universities and Junior caps for Ireland.

Going back a bit, Scotty Garlick (from Arizona) was brilliant for us for a couple of seasons in the mid 90s. He returned to the States, to Carolina Dynamo in the A-League, and the following year was picked up by DC United, winning the MLS Cup in goal for them that same year (game was live on Eurosport in the middle of the night). He went on to play with a few MLS sides, finishing up with the delightfully named Real Salt Lake.

Eddie McIlvenny then was a different kettle of fish. He was a Scot, who "intended" to apply for citizenship of the US and so was allowed to play for them in the 1950 World Cup, captaining the team to that famous 1-0 win over England at Belo Horizonte. He never did get his citizenship, though he is in the US Soccer Hall of Fame. Played for the Blues for quite a few seasons in the mid-fifties.

Edit: Knew there was more, forgot about Mario Longo, good shout TheBoss!
Don't remember a lot about him to be honest, but he came to us in 2002 after spells with Columbus Crew and the same Carolina Dynamo. Ended up back in the US lower leagues.

I still think we've more too, if we're counting the Caribbean we had Rodney Jack of St Vincent & the Grenadines, but more Yanks I mean...

[Redie]

Kupono Low - Sligo Rovers - he was from Hawaii I think.

We also had another american in the mid to late nineties but all i remember is his first name was Clint - Some other Rovers fans might remember him.

[sean r]

athlone had a fellow called julian tanngen who played in the late 80's early 90's he came from milwaukee indoor soccer and kuopono low is actually a puerto rican national team player but holds a us passport so i dont think he actually counts. as he opted for puerto rico instead of the usa. and yes john caulfield is american being born in new york. and carribean players are not actually american but avery john who played for trinidad in the 06 world cup played in ireland as did mark rutherford who is jamacian. and if the irish league counts there is a goalkeeper from the cayman islands playing up north for glentoran i think tuda murphy i think his name is.

[seand]

Dwight Barnettt is Jamaican. Plenty of other Carribean players recently, as mentioned by others. Alvin Rouse, Eric Lavine, Wes Charles, Regilio Nooitmeier (Dutch born played for Haiti), Avery John

Then theres Bray's Alejandro Reyes from Mexico!

[sligoman]

Eh.. Kevin Julian, the most important American LoI footballer like, E-VER!

Quality soccer kicker. The master of the back pass.Even though he's English?

[soccerc]

mark rutherford who is jamacian..

Born in Birmingham England and capped at U18 level by England

[artane-shels]

Jamaican parents is all afaik

[Pablo Escobar]

Was John Caulfield born in the US or am I imagining that one?


He was.

[twoenz]

That Russell Payne Wiki is bizarre. His playing career only took off after he'd had two spells as Assistant Coach.

[osarusan]

Shaun Holmes was on holidays in Houston Texas


Meself and the wife met Shaun Holmes over there in early March


He thinks Holmes should be in charge of the u18s


Geting a crunching tackle from Shaun Homles is alot worse


I heard Shaun Holmes was in the orignal Westlife line up but he choose football over them

Maybe you could give it a rest now.

[The Lilywhites]

Not sure if he's been mentioned already, Michael Daly (Drogheda) was born in New York.

[dahamsta]

Maybe you could give it a rest now.

He won't be bothering you again.

[JC_GUFC]

Galway United had a couple of Yanks,

Kirk Miller and Shane Watkins - both played in the late 90s or early 00s if I remember correctly.