Cork's Shane O’Neill on his American soccer journey and strong GAA roots

WHEN Shane O’Neill was a toddler, the small-town boy from Midleton moved to Colorado with his family.

Leading the pack was his father, Colm, who won All-Ireland football titles with Cork in 1989 and 1990. O’Neill chose a different path to his father, he played soccer.

This turned out to be his calling in life and O’Neill now plays for Toronto FC in Major League Soccer. No matter how far he travelled, O’Neill has remained a Corkman with strong links to his home county.

“The last time I was in Ireland was 2019,” he said. “I was going to go back this off-season but I got Covid and I couldn’t go.

“My grandmother is still there and she is 90 years old. I really need to make it back there when the season is over because I haven’t seen her in a couple of years.

“The last time I saw her was in 2019. That’s a real big disappointment for me. It was easier to get to Ireland when I played in Europe.

“My mom’s brother is Maurice Fitzgerald, who was working with the Kerry football team last year. We talk quite a bit. I followed the Kerry football team quite closely last year. I do follow the GAA quite closely.

“I was disappointed last year because things opened up for Kerry to have a run and they lost in the semi-finals to Tyrone. That was disappointing because we were communicating quite regularly.”

SWITCH

The off-season this year saw O’Neill move to Canada and join Toronto FC from Seattle Sounders. Over the border, he is working under Bob Bradley, one of the most famous coaches in America.

Not only did he get to the CONCACAF Champions League final in 2020 with Los Angeles FC, he also managed Swansea City in the Premier League and he brought through Mohammad Salah when he was in charge of the Egyptian national team.

“He is extremely detail-focused,” O’Neill explained about life in Toronto under Bradley.

“He lives and breathes the game. He is just so into it. That is one thing. To be honest, he is a big reason why I came up here.

“I felt he would help take my game to the next level. He could take my game to the next level, like he has for so many other players.”

If Bradley’s name wasn’t big enough, O’Neill will be playing with Italian striker Lorenzo Insigne this summer.

The Euro 2020 champion, who currently plays with Serie A giants Napoli, will be joining the Canadian club this July and O’Neill can’t wait to work with the Italian.

“It’s going to be big for the league as a whole so it’s pretty exciting,” O’Neill said about Insigne’s move to Canada.

“I’m so excited to see a player like that up close. I want to see their work ethic, how they take care of themselves, and how they train every day.

“I feel that those are the things that make those kind of players special.”

The excitement comes after a long road to the top for O’Neill, which began in the US Soccer Development Academy, a nursery for young talent. The defender was one of the first to break through and his emergence paved the way for stars like Champions League winner Christian Pulisic and Juventus star Weston McKennie.

Reflecting on his formative years, O’Neill thinks he is lucky over the changing attitudes towards sport in America.

It’s so professional and serious now. I think it is a little bit overwhelming. You have to figure out what sport you want to play at like 13 or 14. You then have to go all in.

“Whereas when I was growing up, I was able to play different sports all the way up. In high school, I played basketball for four years.

“It didn’t affect my soccer. In terms of that, I was very lucky. When I was growing up it was getting there but nowadays the professionalism is through the roof.”

O’Neill graduated and played for Colorado Rapids before heading to Europe where he played for a host of top clubs including Apollon Limassol, Cambridge United, and NAC Breda.

“That was a rollercoaster period in my life,” he cast his mind back. “I was hell bent to play over there. I just couldn’t find the right fit and it was a really tough experience off the field.

“I was alone all the time in these foreign countries. Looking back, I wish I could have done it when I was older.

“There were great experiences but it was really challenging because I was so young.”

O’Neil’s pathway earned him a call up to the United States U20s and U23s. While he has put on the stars and stripes, he hasn’t ruled out playing international football with the Republic of Ireland.

“It has always been my dream to play international football for either the US or Ireland. I have said this many times. I feel like I had a couple of good seasons in Seattle and I really pushed to try and make something happen.

“That is why I came to Toronto, to see if I can take my game to the next level and to see if I can keep pushing. I had a teammate last year in Seattle who was having a hell of a season and he got called up to the Colombian national team and he hadn’t been with them before.

“He was 28 or 29. For me, it is the same thing. If I can just keep pushing and improving, you just never know.”