Ireland player profiles: Meet the World Cup squad from number one to twenty-three
SQUAD GOALS: Republic of Ireland players before the women's friendly match against Colombia. . Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Position: Goalkeeper.
Caps: 23 (10 clean sheets).Â
Age: 27.Â
Born: Livingston, New Jersey.
Eligible through: Margaret Brosnan (grandmother) - Roscommon. Michael Brosnan (grandfather) - Kerry.
Current club: Everton.
Previous Clubs: Thonon Evian, Le Havre, West Ham United:
Patience was required by the American after she graduated from the U19s, left waiting until past her 24th birthday to make her senior bow. That elevation, from third choice, for the last pre-covid-19 game in Montenegro only lasted âtil a calamity against Ukraine but she reestablished herself for the last campaign and went almost a year without conceding until compatriot Emily Fox fired a low shot past her in April. Deservedly reigns as the current FAI Player of the Year.
Did you know? The stopper known to her teammates at CB studied Caroline Weirâs previous penalties before denying Scotlandâs dynamo from the spot when last Octoberâs playoff tie was scoreless.
Position: Defender.
Caps: 19 caps (One goal).
Age: 28.
Born: Limerick.
Current club: Celtic.
Previous Clubs: Wexford Youths, MSV Duisburg.
One of the late bolters to the squad, given a broken ankle restricted her involvement in the qualifiers to the final group game against Slovakia, the Limerick lady sealed her place by starting the friendly against Zambia and scoring her first goal. A county representative in both GAA and camogie, it was only after enrolling on a football course at Carlow IT that football caught her attention. Nearby Wexford Youths were the beneficiaries. Together they won three leagues and an FAI Cup, before Germany called.
Did you know? OâRiordan move into the professional ranks came about from a recommendation by her Ireland boss Colin Bell in 2018. His former player Thomas Gerstner was coaching at MSV Duisburg and brought OâRiordan to the Bundesliga as a converted defender â not a striker.
Position: Left-sided defender.
Caps: 19 caps (One goal).
Age: 28.
Born: Lima, Ohio (raised in Cabinteely).
Current club: Bristol City.
Previous Clubs: Peamount United, UCD Waves, Bordeaux, Shelbourne (twice), Charlton Athletic.
Promotion to the WSL with Bristol City, a new contract and World Cup squad membership is a rare run of triumphs for a player whoâs experienced a variety of emotions in life, never mind sport. Her versatility in the centre or left side of defence offers Vera Pauw an option that can be utilised over the tournament and she has the competitive debut in Sweden to prove her reliability.
Did you know? Straight after captaining Ireland at their first-ever U19 Euros in 2014, she was diagnosed with Hodgkinâs lymphoma, wiping two years off her career. The predicated senior caps were delayed until she was 26.
Position: Centre-back.
Caps: 105 caps (15 goals).
Age: 33.
Born: Dublin (raised in Blessington).
Current club: Birmingham City.
Previous Clubs: Peamount United, Eskilstuna United, Notts County, Arsenal, Fiorentina, Birmingham City.Â
Crowned her entry to the centurion club last November by scoring against Morocco, underlining her worth in both boxes. Irelandâs defensive rock when holding newly-crowned Euro champions Netherlands scoreless in Nijmegen six years ago, among her 15-goal haul were some crucial ones in the wins over Portugal, Poland and Australia. Her spell in Sweden was the making of Quinn, tolerating the necessity to dress up as a banana for the club cause, and paving the way for a WSL title-winning season at Arsenal.
Did you know? Ex-rugby international Jenny Murphy remains a close friend, an alliance first struck up when they were teammates at Peamount United.
Position: Centre-back.
Caps: 108 caps (One goal).
Age: 35.
Born: Galway.
Current club: Liverpool.
Previous Clubs: Arsenal, Chelsea, Bordeaux.
The mammy of the squad has been part of the squad since her teens, gliding from GAA royalty into a professional football career during Arsenalâs golden period and further success with Chelsea. All the while she studied and worked in Pharmacology but returned from a stint in France to lay down roots at Liverpool, whom she captained back to the top-flight last year.
Did you know? While Niamh shares the feat of All-Ireland GAA success with her brothers Gary â skipper of the 2001 Tribesmen â and Richie, she also has a national medal in football. Her penalty against Raheny at Dalymount earned Galway their one and only crown in 2007.
Position: Defence/midfield.
Caps: 40 caps (4 goals).
Age: 26.
Born: Cork.
Current club: Unattached.
Previous Clubs: Florida State University, Brighton and Hove Albion.
Vera Pauwâs go-to player, comfortable in defence or midfield, has been a sporting phenomenon since her teens, leaving GAA behind in Cork to embark on a scholarship in Florida that football with studies. Her set-piece prowess on show when scoring against Sweden at the U19 Euros was visible again seven years later in Helsinki when her free-kick fired Ireland on course to a vital qualification win over Finland.
Did you know? Older brother Luke also combined codes but is best known as an accomplished GAA player who broke into the Cork senior panel and remains a key member of Nemo Rangers.
Position: Centre-back.
Caps: 96 caps (4 goals).
Age: 34.
Born: Dublin (raised in Balbriggan).
Current club: Reading.
Previous Clubs: Thor/KA, Avaldsnes, FC Koln, SC Sand, North Carolina Courage, Manchester United.
Another stalwart who was around during the dark days that came to a head at Liberty Hall in 2017, the search for happiness in her club career brought Caldwell through America, Norway and Germany. There she played under her future Ireland boss Colin Bell at SC Sand before returning Stateside and then achieving her ambition of lining out for her beloved Manchester United. Not one for entertaining excuses, the Balbriggan native has long targeted qualification.
Did you know? But for being âbanishedâ by then manager Noel King for 30 months, Caldwell would have well passed the hundred mark by now. She hasnât looked back since Sue Ronan restored her in 2011.
Position: Central midfield.
Caps: 72 (6 goals).
Age: 33.
Born: Glasgow.
Eligible through: Joseph and Maureen Duffy (grandparents) - Antrim.
Current club: Unattached.
Previous Clubs: Glasgow City, Celtic, Arsenal, Liverpool, IL Sanviken, London Bees, West Ham United, Leicester City, Birmingham City, Aston Villa.
Never a dull moment with Glaswegian around, âcamp rulesâ prevent her popular Rue Tube video series covering Irelandâs World Cup voyage down under. She might not have the pace of yesteryear that projected her as an attacker but retains the swiftness of thought to expertly read the game, equally integral to stifling opponents and initiating attacks.
Did you know? It was during her formative years at Arsenal that the Irish legion led by Emma Byrne and Ciara Grant planted the seed in their teammate about switching allegiance from Scotland, whom sheâd played for at the U19 Euros.
Position: Striker.
Caps: 36 caps (7 goals).
Age: 26.
Born: Milford, Donegal.
Current club: Standard Liege.
Previous Clubs: Peamount United, FC Koln, Potsdam Turbine.
That trio of John Aldridge, the late Alan McLoughlin and Jon Walters lacked female company but last October in Hampden Park Barrett joined the cohort of Irish players whose goals sealed major tournament qualification. Its significance edged out the solo strike Nathan Collins fashioned against Ukraine for goal of the year and whoâd bet against the striker delivering again when needed most in Oz. On the club front, Barrettâs wanderlust has seen her traipse across Germany and now Belgium.
Did you know? George Orwellâs 1984 is one of her favourite books, part of the undergraduate degree she took at Maynooth University while topping the leagueâs scoring charts for Peamount.
Position: Midfielder.
Caps: 102 caps (18 goals).
Age: 29.
Born: Cork.
Current club: North Carolina Courage.
Previous Clubs: Cork City, Raheny United, Peamount United, Glasgow City, Houston Dash, North Carolina Courage, Canberra United (loan), Western Sydney Wanderers (loan), Brighton & Hove Albion (loan).
A centurion in her twenties, OâSullivan is the creative force of the Irish midfield, exemplified by that peach of a pass which sent Barrett on her way to sporting immortality. The homebird from Knocknaheeney has made America her home away from home for the past seven years, sampling what England and Australia offered on loan spells but on the basis that stateside stayed as her calling. Titles, MVP accolades and most recently the captaincy have formed part of her North Carolina Courage tapestry.
Did you know? Although her spell Houston is the sole blot during her career, OâSullivan began brightly before a managerial change. The man who recruited her was Randy Waldrum, now the Nigerian manager due to face her in the final group game.
Position: Left wing-back/midfield.
Caps: 73 caps (20 goals).
Age: 27.
Born: Dublin.
Current club: Arsenal.
Previous Clubs: Raheny United, Glasgow City (loan).
Irelandâs beacon of hope in the English top-flight, her triumph in the goal of the season and selection for the Champions League team of the season underscoring her importance for Arsenal. So too was a failed bid on deadline day by Chelsea on their way to a third successive title. What position the lynchpin starts is the subplot of the build-up but sheâs still capable of inflicting damage from left wing-back.
Did you know? Irelandâs skipper was the only ever-present over almost four years in a Pauw-managed Ireland team until a late club release prevented her featuring in the recent friendly against Zambia.
Position: Central midfield.
Caps: 8 (2 goals).
Age: 29.
Born: Brighton.
Eligible through: Breda Greene (grandmother) - Cobh, Cork.
Current club: London City Lionesses.
Previous Clubs: : Arsenal, Brighton, Bristol City, Frankfurt, Charlton.
A much-travelled midfielder, including a season in Germany, will enjoy the long trip after a rapid international ascent approaching her 30th birthday in December. She was sitting in the Gothenburg stand for the draw against Sweden in April 2022 but has won all eight of her caps in a 13-month blitz. Agg will be forever recalled as the player whose goal against Finland sealed a first play-off for 23 years. She kept her place for the final two qualifiers and despite suffering a serious ankle injury is firmly in the equation to start in Sydney.
Did you know? Agg and Jordan Nobbs are close friends from their time together at Arsenal and the Irishwoman is relishing the prospect of facing her pal in the last-16 if both teams progress.
Position: Wing-back/attacker.
Caps: 118 caps (13 goals).
Age: 34.
Born: Wicklow.
Current club: Shamrock Rovers.
Previous Clubs: Peamount United, Doncaster Rovers Belles, UCD Waves, Peamount United.
Her squad number proved unlucky in Kiev when a freakish own-goal deep in covid times mothballed a Euro playoff that was agonisingly close. Armed with the grit that defined her Ireland career since the age of 16, especially as one of the squadâs spokespersons during the 2017 strike, the versatile Enniskerry native rebounded to start the crunch play-off in Scotland. Remains the domestic trailblazer as the marquee recruit for the second coming of Shamrock Rovers.
Did you know? Emerged into the Ireland team shortly before her fellow Wicklow woman Katie Taylor, the pair sharing promotional duties for the visit of superpowers Sweden to Bray in 2008.
Position: Wing-back/attacker.
Caps: 35 caps (1 goals).
Age: 23.
Born: Ballinasloe.
Current club: Unattached.
Previous Clubs: Peamount United, Bristol City, Florida State University.
Understated off the pitch and overworked on it, the playmaker from Ballinasloe was a first-choice from the outset of the campaign, primarily deployed as the outball when Ireland launched counterattacks. Her persistence in setting up the winner in Helsinki wonât be forgotten. Based in Tallahassee, Florida for the past four years, the WSL is likely her next destination and how she performs in her latest position of wing-back may influence the profile of her suitor.
Did you know? Her nickname within the group window. Think about it.
Position: Attacker.
Caps: 14 (2 goals).
Age: 29.
Born: Southampton.
Eligible through: Edward Joseph Quinn (grandfather) - Sligo. Rose Quinn (grandmother) - Cavan.
Current club: Birmingham City.
Previous Clubs: Portsmouth, Yeovil Town, Birmingham City, Tottenham Hotspur.
A late convert to the Irish cause, much of it down to paperwork she explained, Quinn made up for lost time by curling a free-kick two minutes into her debut against Australia that struck the post, goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold and trickled into the net. Though her impact on the campaign was greater in the first half of the campaign than the second, a late call-up to the USA friendlies clinched her seat on the plane to Oz.
Did you know? Quinnâs previous international experience was representing England in 2017 in their triumphant Euro Beach soccer finals in Portugal â as a goalkeeper.
Position: Goalkeeper.
Caps: 6 (1 clean sheet).
Age: 30.
Born: Slough, London.
Eligible through: Mick Moloney (grandfather) - Tipperary. Bridget Moloney (grandmother) - Cavan.
Current club: Unattached.
Previous Clubs: Reading, Aston Villa (loan).
One of the longest serving squad members, starting in 2010, she has earned just six caps and finally got her competitive chance when Germany came to Tallaght in the final qualifier of the Euro 2021 campaign. Former Reading teammate Mary Earps would instead star at those finals, delayed by a year, for champions England while the one-club stopperâs relationship with the Royals finally ended with their recent relegation.
Did you know? Was part of the squad that reached the U17 World Cup in 2010 in Trinidad and Tobago â returning to that stage with Denise OâSullivan, Ciara Grant and Harriet Scott.
Position: Midfielder.
Caps: 2.
Age: 33.
Born: Pennsylvania, US.
Eligible through: SeĂĄn Farrelly (father) â Virginia, Cavan.
Current club: NY/NJ Gotham.
Previous Clubs: Philadelphia Independence, Kansas City, Portland Thorns.
The latest ârecruitâ to the Irish cause, having debuted against her homeland of USA, is a seasoned NWSL player left traumatised by physical and mental scars of a car accident and alleged abuse by her former coach at Portland Thorns. A six-year break was snapped by signing for Gotham and finalising her switch to the country of her fatherâs birth.
Did you know? She spent a couple of her childhood years living in Shankill on the Dublin/Wicklow border and her sister Deirdre has just relocated from the US to Westmeath.
Position: Striker.
Caps: 12 (two goals).
Age: 27.
Born: San Diego, US.
Eligible through: : Tony Lucey (grandfather) â Cork. Beryl Lucey (grandmother) â Laois.
Current club: London City Lionesses.
Previous Clubs: Sky Blue FC, Le Harve, HB KĂžge.
Another former USA underage squad member, she declined an NWSL place through the draft to venture towards Europe, most successfully in Denmark, where she played and scored in the Champions League. Has progressed since enlisting in 2020 from peripheral figure to a shoo-in for getting the nod in Sydney.
Did you know? Had football â or soccer â not worked out, Carusa may well have pursued a career in medicine.
Position: Striker.
Caps: 8 (one goal).
Age: 18.
Born: Dublin.
Current club: Shamrock Rovers.
Previous Clubs: Shelbourne.
The baby of the squad has become something of a pet project for Vera Pauw, elevating the teen to the senior squad when she wasnât even a regular at Shelbourne. Neat in possession with an eye for goal â her first Ireland one coming in Georgia â she could have an impact off the bench. Another of the signature signings snaffled by Shamrock Rovers.
Did you know? Such is her youthfulness that Larkin was once presented with an award while playing for the Metropolitan League by her colleague and captain Katie McCabe.
Position: Winger/attacker.
Caps: 4.
Age: 26.
Born: Pennsylvania, US.
Eligible through: : John McCaul (grandfather) â Tyrone. Kathleen Cassidy (grandmother) - Mountcharles, Donegal.
Current club: Washington Spirit.
Previous Clubs: Utah Royals.
Like Farrelly, Sheva is a 2023 addition, yet Pauw is adamant she wanted to declare before the watershed of qualification was passed. Possesses the agility to operate wide or centrally, her background in athletics fits right into the managerâs wishlist of players being capable of both sprints and endurance. Finally broke into the Washington team before assembling and a probable inclusion on July 20.
Did you know? Long-distance running was her first sporting love, continuing into University, before the fork in the road prompted a decision.
Position: Midfielder.
Caps: 18.
Age: 30.
Born: Letterkenny.
Current club: Hearts.
Previous Clubs: Shelbourne, Rangers.
Sharing the identical name of a former centurion suffocates profile but the younger version has carved out her career, despite it restarting at 27. The Letterkenny native used her time after being a graduate from the U17 World Cup squad studying to become a doctor but rekindled her love for the game by joining Shelbourne. That precipitated a move to Rangers and her Scottish sojourn has brought her to her current home in Edinburgh.
Did you know? During her sabbatical, her doctoring career entailed working with the FAIâs underage teams â an experience that persuaded her to make a comeback.
Position: Wing-back.
Caps: 6.
Age: 21.
Born: Rush, Co Dublin.
Current club: West Ham United.
Previous Clubs: Shelbourne, Celtic.
Colin Bellâs habit of fast-tracking precocious teens saw the utility player make her senior bow by 16. Shelbourne presented her the terrain to gain senior club experience but her talents from wide areas had Celtic circling before she landed at her current residence of West Ham. Getting parachuted into the full squad after being excluded from the provisional panel constitutes one of the early Cinderella stories.
Did you know? Her extra-time winner in May 2022 earned Celtic their first-ever Scottish FA Cup with a 3-2 triumph over Glasgow City.
Position: Goalkeeper.
Caps: 1.
Age: 28.
Born: Redditch, Englan.
Eligible through: William Walsh (grandfather) â Wexford.
Current club: Unattached.
Previous Clubs: Aston Villa, Everton, Notts County, Yeovil, Brighton & Hove Albion.
Walsh belies the stereotype of brash and loud goalkeepers, choosing her words carefully and articulating them in soft tones. Sheâs not been able to shout about her paucity of opportunities either as although switching allegiance two years ago as a WSL regular for Brighton the incumbent Courtney Brosnan has solidified her berth.
Did you know? She was a clubmate of current teammate Louise Quinn when Notts County took the controversial decision to fold their womenâs team in 2017.
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