Darielle O'Brien
American soccer player
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Darielle Victoria O'Brien is an American professional soccer player who most recently played as a defender for the Utah Royals of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She played college soccer for the UC Riverside Highlanders.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Darielle Victoria O'Brien[1] | ||
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)[1] | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015–2018 | UC Riverside Highlanders | 71 | (6) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019–2024 | United City FC | – | (19) |
| 2024 | Utah Royals | 0 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of July 9, 2025 | |||
Early life
O'Brien is a native of Fontana, California.[1][2] She attended Summit High School, where she won 4 varsity letters, was a 2-time offensive MVP, and received one all-league first team honor.[1] O'Brien was a productive goalscorer for Summit, particularly in her final high school season;[3] she scored 19 goals in the first 8 games of her senior year and was one of the California Interscholastic Federation's top scorers.[4][5]
College career
O'Brien played for the UC Riverside Highlanders on a soccer scholarship from 2015 to 2018.[4][1] On October 23, 2015, she scored her first two college goals in a defeat at the hands of Santa Barbara.[6] She registered 16 matches in her freshman year, a number she would bring up to 18 the following season.[1] As a junior, she led the team in assists and tied for third place in goals scored.[1] One of O'Brien's assists came in an August 25 match against Denver, in which she also scored the 87th minute game-tying goal to salvage a 2–2 draw.[7] O'Brien capped off her college career with a senior season in which she tallied 2 assists and was named as an All-Big West honorable mention.[8]
Club career
United City FC
After leaving college, O'Brien spent 5 years with United City FC, a United Premier Soccer League team in Downey, California.[9] She helped United City earn several UPSL, Southwest Premier League, and Alianza de Futbol titles.[10] O'Brien was an offensive threat in her time with United City, recording a sum of 19 goals and 32 assists.[11]
Utah Royals
On July 17, 2024, O'Brien signed her first professional deal with the NWSL's Utah Royals.[11] She inked a national team replacement player contract, helping fill in for Utah's 4 players participating in the 2024 Olympics.[10] She made her professional debut two days later, coming on as a second-half substitute for Madison Pogarch in an NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup match against the Seattle Reign.[9][12] On August 28, the Royals re-signed O'Brien, this time as an injury replacement player.[13] At the end of the season, O'Brien departed from Utah and entered NWSL free agency.[14]
Career statistics
Club
- As of July 9, 2025
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Playoffs | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Utah Royals | 2024 | NWSL | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1[a] | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
- Includes the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup
