Sophomore Aiden O’Brien has been playing baseball and soccer for nearly all his life. 

For most of O’Brien’s childhood, he played soccer for Southeast Soccer Club; however, today, he plays with Portland City United Soccer Club. He chose to play with Portland City over Southeast, after receiving encouragement from his friends to join the team.

In addition to playing club soccer, O’Brien also made varsity at La Salle as a freshman, and has been playing as a center back ever since. “Coming in new, as a freshman, not really knowing anyone, was a little bit daunting,” he said. “This year, starting on the [varsity] team, from day one, I feel like I have made a lot better connections with the players,” he said.

In comparison to freshman year, sophomore year is “definitely harder to balance school and sports, but the coaches are all super supportive and the teachers are always there to help,” O’Brien said.

O’Brien enjoys having Mr. Seth Altshuler as his coach. “With all the experiences he’s had, you can tell that he knows what he’s talking about,” he said. “He’s really passionate about helping us elevate to the next level.”

While O’Brien looks up to his coach Mr. Altshuler, he also admires the seniors on the team. “Their work ethic drives me to push myself to be as good as I can be,” he said. “Everyone knows each other super well. We’re all comfortable around each other, and we know when it’s time to work hard and practice, and when it’s the right time to joke around.”

At the beginning of this season, O’Brien suffered an injury to his hamstring, which he said has made him more cautious, but fortunately it wasn’t anything too serious that would prevent him from sitting out the entire season. 

Alongside playing soccer, O’Brien has also been playing baseball “since I could walk,” he said. Last year, he swung from junior varsity to varsity, as a center fielder and pitcher. 

O’Brien said he looks forward to college, and he hopes to get a scholarship, whether it involves sports or not. He said he would love to continue with sports, but he knows he can succeed no matter what path he takes.

Reflecting on his experience playing soccer, O’Brien said that “whenever there is a big crowd… you kind of get butterflies in your chest. As soon as you step on the field everything kind of fades away a little bit.”