'I was really unhappy': Denise O'Sullivan explains why she left Liverpool

Denise O'Sullivan said she's 'really loving' being back in the US with Gotham FC. Pic: ©INPHO/Tom Maher

Home is where the heart is for Denise O’Sullivan and once her brief Cork return concludes, that's the United States rather than the United Kingdom.

After years of pining to be closer to her family, last January she ended a gilded, decade-long spell at North Carolina Courage to join Liverpool.

This move, at the age of 32, made sense in so many ways.

Investment in the English League has attracted the best talent in the world over recent years, Arsenal finally ended 18 years of a European Cup famine, and the short hop to Cork appeared ideal to suit her personal life.

Yet, away from the glamour of training at world-class Melwood and sharing a pitch with the best in the business, O’Sullivan’s mood darkened.

She was just nine league appearances and five months into her new contract when the difficult decision was made.

A realisation occurred that her happy place was America. The Land of Opportunity was where she’d met her fiancé James and the stage of her greatest career achievements.

As it transpired, swapping North Carolina for New York club Gotham FC was easier than assimilating into life a mere 40-minute flight away from her native Cork.

“I couldn’t settle there off the pitch,” she confessed, speaking on the eve of gracing Páirc Uí Chaoimh with Ireland against Kazakhstan.

“I was really unhappy and that translated onto the pitch so I couldn’t play my game. It was solely a personal decision.” 

Ending the nightmare still depended on how her new employer reacted to a bombshell being dropped within a few months of them forking out €350,000 to Courage.

“Liverpool were fantastic to deal with,” O’Sullivan explained.

“It’s not common to let you go six months into a contract. We’d had a few chats and they knew that I was really unhappy. They dealt with the situation really well.” 

Joining the likes of US legends Tierna Davidson and Rose Lavelle, as well as England regular Jess Carter, eased the football transition and hanging around Manhattan also helped.

“I’m really loving it,” she explains about her US comeback.

“I’ve been back about three months now, so I’m starting to settle in.

"I’ve started to see myself play 90 minutes in the last few games. I’m getting used to the team and players around me.

“The calibre of players on the team is world class. It’s a challenge, I can’t get complacent there, the spots are up for grabs.

“It’s really good, a great environment to be part of and, of course, living in New York as well is a big bonus.

“It’s fantastic because of only being a five-and-a-half-hour flight so it’s got no effect on me at all.

“I know how to take care of my body at this stage, I know the protocols to be ready for gameday and I think that’s the most important thing.

“Once I’m ready on game day, it’s fine.” 

It was due to her extra travel demands than others and recent injury problems that O’Sullivan was excused from the first leg hammering on Friday in Kazakhstan.

Tonight will mark her return and, all going to plan, by the end of the play-off final in December, she’ll be Ireland’s record cap holder.

Rather than personal accolades, the motivation by the end of that decider against Belgium or Poland is to seal back-to-back World Cup appearances.

"Great, yeah. I mean, Emma Byrne is an absolute legend,” O’Sullivan said about her goalkeeping coach, the current holder of the record with 134 caps.

“It's really amazing to be just behind her with the amount of caps.

“I'll say it every single time. It's just so great to play for Ireland. I absolutely love it, and every single cap I get, it's like the first.

“So hopefully, I have many more to come and keep putting on that green shirt."

She added about the prize coming into sight, a familiar one given they broke their major tournament duck by reaching Australia in 2023.

“To reach one World Cup is very, very special but getting to this one is even more special.

“We’re as close as ever, this team. We all care for each other, we want each other to do the best.

“There's still those three games to go and it (the World Cup) has not been spoken about in the camp but the excitement is in the back of your head.”