Ciaran O'Brien going 'Pro'

Ciaran O'Brien (right) launches a shot last season while with the Tacoma Tide. O'Brien was named all-league in midfield and led Tacoma in scoring.
Jenni Conner GOALTacoma.com photo.

Several Major League Soccer bloggers are reporting that local lad Ciaran O'Brien is going to skip his senior year of NCAA eligibility and sign as a 2008 Generation Adidas player and thus be eligible for the 2008 MLS combine and draft which follows.

(The timing sucks for Seattle MLS, as they don't have drafting rights this year. So O'Brien will likely end up with one of the 'other' 14 MLS teams to start his career.)

3rdDegree.net says that's what people at UCSB are saying about O'Brien.

From College to Pros jumps in with more info on O'Brien and the other player said to have already comitted to GA 2008.

Generation Adidas is a joint venture between Major League Soccer and the United States Soccer Federation aimed to raise the level of young soccer talent in the United States. The program, sponsored by adidas, encourages early entry (without college graduation) of American players into MLS. Until 2005, the program was sponsored by Nike and was called Project-40.

Watch O'Brien's free kick goal against Yakima from 2007:

Tacoma Tide beat Yakima Reds 5-0
Uploaded by sounderfan