O’Brien stars with US elite

Irish youth international Ronnie O’Brien took his place among US football’s elite when he played in Major League Soccer’s Allstar Game at the weekend.

O’Brien, the former Middlesbrough and Juventus midfielder from Bray, was one of the 22 players voted into the showpiece at Washington DC’s RFK Stadium by fans, coaches and the media following a sparkling first half of the MLS season with Dallas Burn.

Representing the Western Conference, O’Brien came face to face with DC United’s Dema Kovalenko, the player who broke his leg in a tackle 15 months ago which ruled him out for the rest of the 2003 season.

Kovalenko proved O’Brien’s nemesis again when the Irishman was adjudged to have held his man back in the penalty area, conceding a 22-minute penalty which Eastern Conference’s Amado Guevara scored on the way to a 3-2 victory.