Shane O'Neill

Hometown: Boulder, CO
Citizenship: USA, Ireland
Previous Club: Colorado Rapids Development Academy U-18s
Acquired: Signed by the Rapids as a Homegrown Player on June 19, 2012.

An all-around athlete at Boulder’s Fairview High School, Shane was headed for the University of Virginia to play soccer before deciding to sign a homegrown player contract with the Rapids.

MLS CAREER

2014

• Missed nine matches due to a sprained right MCL suffered on July 12 at the Philadelphia Union and returned to action on September 13.
• Started all 21 of the games he appeared in before going down with the MCL injury.
• Received platelet-rich plasma injections on August 18 to facilitate healing and help his recovery. Prior to his injury, he had received regular minutes and scored his first ever MLS goal on May 24 vs. Montreal.
• A solid part of the Colorado defense that was dealt a big blow with the loss of both O’Neill and team captain Drew Moor within two games of each other.
• Invited to train with the full U.S. National Team in January, 2015.

2013

• Originally signed as a midfielder, his time with the U.S. U-20 National Team earned him attention as a central defender.
• Entered the March 23 match at LA in the 52nd minute after Drew Moor was ejected, having played only one professional game prior.
• O’Neill played nearly every game of the season thereafter; only missing matches while on U.S. U-20 National Team duty.
• His breakout performance earned him the Rapids Young Player of the Year award.
• His start on March 30 made him the first Homegrown Player to start a game for the Rapids.

2012

• Made his debut for the Rapids in a friendly against EPL side Swansea City on July 24.
• Made the Rapid’s 18-man roster for the first time against FC Dallas on July 14 at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.
• Made his MLS debut on Sept. 5 in the 3-0 victory over Portland Timbers.

NATIONAL TEAM

• Trained with the full national team in January 2015, a repeat of his call-up in 2014.
• A candidate for selection to the U.S. Under-23 (Olympic) team qualifying for Brazil ’16.
• Played in two of the United States’ three matches in the U-20 FIFA World Cup in Turkey, where the U.S. were eliminated after finishing third in the Group Stage. Scored a goal in the team’s final match against Ghana, a 4-1 loss.
• Called in for the U.S. U-20 Camp from Jan. 14-22 and earned a spot on the roster for the CONCACAF U-20 Championship. Played all 90 minutes in five matches of the tournament, anchoring the defense as a center back while they qualified for the U-20 FIFA World Cup.
• Earned his first call up for the United States in the summer of 2012, being named to the U-20 squad for the Marbella Cup in Spain from Oct. 6-17. Made his debut in the 2-1 loss to Canada before an eye injury kept him out of the remaining two games of the tournament.

COLLEGE

• Intended to play with the University of Virginia before signing with the Rapids.

YOUTH/CLUB

• Made his first appearance with Rapids youth teams at the MLS/SUM U-17 Cup in 2009, and joined the Rapids Academy U-18 Team in 2010.
• Led the Colorado Rapids U-18’s in scoring during the 2011-12 season with 10 goals in 15 games, helping the team to a playoff spot
• Attended Boulder’s Fairview High School, where he finished his career with a total of 48 goals and 27 assists, both all-time highs for Fairview High School
• Earned 2011 Gatorade Boys Soccer Player of the Year for Colorado, Denver Post All-Colorado selection, and 2011 Front Range League Player of the Year
• Named MVP for the West team in December 2011’s national High School All-American Game in Birmingham, Ala.
• Three-year starter at shooting guard for Fairview Boys Basketball team.
• Earned BoCoPreps.com Boys Soccer Player of the Year for fall 2011, and Boys Basketball Player of the Year honors for winter 2011.

PERSONAL

• Has dual citizenship in the United States and Ireland, having moved to the United States when he was one year old, and settling in Boulder, Colo. in 2002.
• Has five siblings: an older brother, Darragh, who is a punter on the football team at the University of Colorado, as well as two younger brothers and two younger sisters.
• Father Colm was an All-Ireland winning Gaelic footballer, who played for the Cork senior inter-county team.
• Mother Christine played basketball in Ireland.