Playing for the Utah Royals on Friday was a dream come true for the Fontana native, who played for UC Riverside and developed further with United City FC
Playing for the NWSL’s Utah Royals on Friday was a dream come true for Fontana native Darielle O’Brien, who played for UC Riverside and developed into a pro prospect with Downey-based United City FC. So when Darielle O’Brien stepped onto Lumen Field in Seattle on Friday in the 88th minute, making her National Women’s Soccer League debut for Utah Royals FC in the inaugural NWSL x LIGA MX Femenil Summer Cup, it was a goal unlocked.
“When we started, we wanted to get a player signed with an NWSL club in four years,” said Steven Hawthorne, the club’s founder and co-owner. “And we’ve just done that.”On Wednesday, the NWSL’s Royals – who lost their first Femenil Summer Cup match 2-1 to the Seattle Reign – announced they signed O’Brien, a defender, and two others as National Team Replacement players, to fill in for team members away on national team duty at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
When O’Brien checked in, hair braided and wearing No. 23, CBS broadcaster JP Dellacamera told the audience: “Darielle O’Brien will come inis certainly part of O’Brien’s story – she played in 71 matches for a blue-collar Highlander team from 2015-19, recording six goals and six assists – but it’s not the whole story.
The way she’s performed with the club, notching 19 goals and 32 assists in helping win multiple UPSL Women, SWPL League and Alianza de Futbol titles.“That’s something I’m super grateful for,” O’Brien said by phone last week. “In California, after college, there’s not a lot of opportunity in terms of where to play on a consistent basis … and I’ll be real honest, coming from a school that’s not top 20 in the nation, those girls really don’t get looked at .
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