Bryan Byrne
Encyclopedia
Bryan Byrne is an Irish
soccer midfielder
who currently plays for amateur team Doxa Italia
in the United States.
, and was a captain at age 19. From there, Byrne was signed by Kildare County's then-manager Dermot Keely
during the 2002-03 season. He was awarded an athletic scholarship later that season by the University of California, Santa Barbara
, men's soccer team and moved to the United States.
Byrne made a big impression on the college soccer scene, playing an integral part at midfield and co-captaining the Gauchos to the 2006 NCAA title. Byrne played 77 times for UCSB, scoring 11 goals and adding 19 assists. He played a key role in the Gauchos' six-game run to the team's maiden College Cup title. He was also selected to the all-College Cup team following the side's 2-1 victory over UCLA in the championship match.
Byrne also played with the San Fernando Valley Quakes
in the USL Premier Development League
, scoring two goals in four appearances.
by the New England Revolution
and manager Steve Nicol
, a former Liverpool
player. There had been talk that Byrne would be signed with LA Galaxy, before David Beckham signed with the Los Angeles team. Byrne signed a contract with New England Revolution on April 13, 2007, and made his professional debut the following week. He was waived at the end of the season, and subsequently signed for Ventura County Fusion
.
Byrne went on to play two seasons with Fusion, helping them to the USL Premier Development League
championship in 2009.
He was released by Fusion at the end of 2009 as a result of the PDL's age restrictions, and has since been playing with Los Angeles Celtic in the men's amateur Los Angeles Premier League, and for Doxa Italia
in the USASA
Coast Soccer League Byrne also has the honor of being Doxa Italia
's first ever goal scorer in the Lamar Hunt Open Cup
.
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
soccer midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
who currently plays for amateur team Doxa Italia
Doxa Italia
Doxa Italia is an American amateur soccer team based in Manhattan Beach, California, United States. Founded in 1997, the team plays in Region IV of the United States Adult Soccer Association, a network of amateur leagues at the fifth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid.The team plays its home games...
in the United States.
Youth and College
Byrne started his career at his local club, Castle VillaCastle Villa
Castle Villa AFC are a soccer team based in Castledermot, Co. Kildare, Ireland.Castle Villa was formed by Walter Brookes in 1969.Commonly known as 'The Villa', there are two senior teams and many underage teams, ranging from U8 to U16....
, and was a captain at age 19. From there, Byrne was signed by Kildare County's then-manager Dermot Keely
Dermot Keely
Dermot Keely, is the former manager of Irish football team Shelbourne.-Family:Keely's family have played League of Ireland football at various levels. His late father Peter Keely played for Shelbourne, his brother Joe played on the same Home Farm FAI Cup winning side of 1775 as Dermot Keely himself...
during the 2002-03 season. He was awarded an athletic scholarship later that season by the University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...
, men's soccer team and moved to the United States.
Byrne made a big impression on the college soccer scene, playing an integral part at midfield and co-captaining the Gauchos to the 2006 NCAA title. Byrne played 77 times for UCSB, scoring 11 goals and adding 19 assists. He played a key role in the Gauchos' six-game run to the team's maiden College Cup title. He was also selected to the all-College Cup team following the side's 2-1 victory over UCLA in the championship match.
Byrne also played with the San Fernando Valley Quakes
San Fernando Valley Quakes
San Fernando Valley Quakes was an American soccer team based in Calabasas, California, United States. Founded in 2006, the team played in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, until 2008, when the franchise folded and the team left the league.The team...
in the USL Premier Development League
USL Premier Development League
The USL Premier Development League is the amateur league of the United Soccer Leagues in the United States, Canada, and Bermuda, forming part of the American Soccer Pyramid...
, scoring two goals in four appearances.
Professional
Byrne was drafted in the third round (38th overall) of the 2007 MLS SuperDraft2007 MLS SuperDraft
The 2007 MLS SuperDraft, was held in Indianapolis, Indiana on January 12, 2007. It was the eighth annual Major League Soccer SuperDraft. The first selection belonged to expansion team Toronto FC.The SuperDraft was followed by the 2007 MLS Supplemental Draft....
by the New England Revolution
New England Revolution
The New England Revolution is an American professional association football club based in Foxborough, Massachusetts which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada...
and manager Steve Nicol
Steve Nicol
Stephen "Steve" Nicol is a Scottish former professional footballer. A utility player who played in the all-conquering Liverpool team of the 1980s, he was most recently coach of New England Revolution, and was the longest-tenured head coach in MLS to coach a single club.As a player, Nicol was a...
, a former Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
player. There had been talk that Byrne would be signed with LA Galaxy, before David Beckham signed with the Los Angeles team. Byrne signed a contract with New England Revolution on April 13, 2007, and made his professional debut the following week. He was waived at the end of the season, and subsequently signed for Ventura County Fusion
Ventura County Fusion
Ventura County Fusion is an American soccer team based in Ventura, California, United States. Founded in 2006, the team plays in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference.The team plays its home games in...
.
Byrne went on to play two seasons with Fusion, helping them to the USL Premier Development League
USL Premier Development League
The USL Premier Development League is the amateur league of the United Soccer Leagues in the United States, Canada, and Bermuda, forming part of the American Soccer Pyramid...
championship in 2009.
He was released by Fusion at the end of 2009 as a result of the PDL's age restrictions, and has since been playing with Los Angeles Celtic in the men's amateur Los Angeles Premier League, and for Doxa Italia
Doxa Italia
Doxa Italia is an American amateur soccer team based in Manhattan Beach, California, United States. Founded in 1997, the team plays in Region IV of the United States Adult Soccer Association, a network of amateur leagues at the fifth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid.The team plays its home games...
in the USASA
USASA
The United States Adult Soccer Association is a national organization and sanctioning body for amateur soccer in the United States...
Coast Soccer League Byrne also has the honor of being Doxa Italia
Doxa Italia
Doxa Italia is an American amateur soccer team based in Manhattan Beach, California, United States. Founded in 1997, the team plays in Region IV of the United States Adult Soccer Association, a network of amateur leagues at the fifth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid.The team plays its home games...
's first ever goal scorer in the Lamar Hunt Open Cup
Personal
Byrne currently owns and runs a website where he reviews soccer cleats, SoccerCleats101SoccerCleats101
Created in 2008, SoccerCleats101 has quickly grown to be one of the leading soccer footwear review sites on the internet. Reviews from the website are used as an expert voice on Soccer.com....
.
UC Santa Barbara
- NCAA Men's Division I Soccer Championship (1): 20062006 Division I Men's College CupThe 2006 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship was a tournament of 48 teams from NCAA Division I who played for the NCAA Championship in soccer. The College Cup Final Four was held at Hermann Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri. All the other games were played at the home field of the higher-seeded...