5 Irish Footballers You May Have Forgot Played In The USA

Ahead of Ireland's clash with Team USA Mens National Team Soccer at the Aviva on Tuesday night, we at Balls.ie decided to take a look at some of the Irish players who made the switch to the States to play their football.

Rather than focus on the roaring success of Robbie Keane, or the mysterious lack of success for the likes of Andy O'Brien and Darren O'Dea, we thought it would be more interesting to take a look at the Irish players who's time in the US may have flown under the radar for one reason or another.

Here are 5 Irish footballers you may have forgot played in the USA.

Tony Dunne

Dublin born Tony Dunne played for Shelbourne until the age of 19, when he left Ireland to join Manchester United. Dunne quickly cemented his place as United's starting left back, and during his 13 years with the Manchester side, he won two league titles, one FA Cup, and one European Cup. Making over 400 appearances for Manchester United, Dunne is still regarded as one of the best full-backs to have played for the club. At age 32, the Dublin man joined Bolton Wanderers and eventually helped them to promotion to the top flight.

In 1979, at age 38, he took an opportunity to move to the United States and join NASL side Detroit Express, where he linked up with Trevor Francis in the club's second season in the league. After one season and nearing 40 years of age, Dunne decided to hang up his boots and returned to Bolton as assistant manager.

Steve Heighway

Like Dunne, Heighway was a Dublin born footballer who spent over a decade at one of English football's biggest clubs, before a one year stint in US Soccer.

A pacey and strong left winger, Steve Heighway spent 11 seasons at Anfield, making over 300 appearances in great Liverpool teams on his way to winning five league titles, three European Cups, two UEFA Cups, one FA Cup, one League Cup, and one European Super Cup.

Having seen his playing time diminish entering the '80s, Heighway decided to move to the US and join the Minnesota Kicks, a side competing in the NASL. The former Liverpool winger played one season in the NASL, before trying his luck in the Indoor Soccer league with the Philadelphia Fever before moving into coaching. Eventually, Heighway would return to Merseyside as a youth coach, where he oversaw the development of the likes of Steven Gerrard and Michael Owen.

Johnny Giles

Widely considered to be one of Ireland's best ever players, John Giles enjoyed a prestigious career with the likes of Manchester United, Leeds United, and West Bromwich Albion in England, before returning to Ireland as player-manager of Shamrock Rovers.

It was while Giles was in charge of Rovers that he dipped his toe into the World of US Soccer, as he surprisingly agreed to join the Philadelphia Fury in the NASL during the League Of Ireland's off-season. This move didn't go down too well with Rovers fans, as Giles was supposed to be preparing for an assault on Europe with the Tallaght side, but instead Giles was in America playing alongside English World Cup winner Alan Ball and Chelsea legend Peter Osgood.

Giles played one season for the Fury, making 21 appearances, and there is even some footage of his time there available on YouTube.

He is now known for being the greatest pundit the World has ever seen.

Gerry Daly

Dublin born Daly impressed at Bohemians before making the move to England at 19 years of age to join Manchester United under manager Tommy Docherty. His first season at United saw the club relegated to division two, but soon they were back in the top flight and Daly went on to make over 100 appearances for United before joining Derby County.

In his three years at Derby, Daly became a fan favourite, before he decided to take an offer to join Irish legend and manager of the hilariously named New England Tea Men, Noel Cantwell. Daly took a nice wage bump to play for the Tea Men, and despite making only 18 appearances he was named in the NASL team of the year, alongside Franz Beckenbauer, and ahead of George Best.

Daly returned for a second season with the Tea Men, but the team struggled and Daly returned to England to join Coventry City. The former Man United man spent the next decade moving around teams such as Shrewsbury Town, Stoke City, and Doncaster Rovers, before retiring as a player at Telford United in 1991.

Richie Baker

Without a doubt the least successful footballer on this list, Richie Baker was a highly regarded player in the super successful Irish youth sides of the late 1990s. Richie and his brother Dessie were stars for Shelbourne at the turn of the Millenium, and while Richie became the only player to win two PFAI Young Player Of The Year Awards, he was never taken on by an English club, unlike many of his Ireland youth team-mates.

In 2004, Baker announced that he would be joining MLS side New England Revolution, but he didn't settle in the States, making only 20 appearances that season before returning for another spell at Shelbourne. After Shels' financial troubles in 2006, Baker moved to Drogheda United were he won the league title in his one and only season with the club. He then moved back for another season at Shelbourne before retiring at Bray Wanderers in 2010.

Big thanks to The Wild Geese for the information.