Pick Up In Paradise
Jordan O'Brien, USA
My name is Jordan Montgomery O'Brien. I was born in Anaheim, California. I am currently 27, and I started playing football at the age of 3. I am currently living in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where I am in my 5th year of playing professionally with Club Atletico River Plate. My experience within this game has been a series of failures that somehow turn into amazing life experiences and success, and it has enabled me to connect with many beautiful beings along the way.
Who is in the photos? Where were the photos taken?
A wide array of people, from acquaintances on the street or pitch, to friends, family, and teammates. The locations included an array of places I normally play at in Southern California such as Los Angeles and Orange County.
The beauty of this photo. Sunday Pick Up with Venice Beach Football Club (VBFC) at Estadio de Dogtown in Venice Beach, California. One thing I love about VBFC is that there is no politics when you come to the court, you show up as a group of 4, you put your name on the list, and you wait until your name is called. That wait can range, depending on how long the games go on for (it is a one and done type set-up, meaning one goal and next team comes on), and how many teams are in line ahead of you.
The beach is in the background, and all the people are on the pitch. Just another Sunday in paradise, playing footy by the beach. What more could you ask for? This is the beauty of the game and the space that is Estadio de Dogtown, the essence of playing pick up there. If you are ever able to play there, you know exactly what I am speaking about. This space, and what VBFC has created for Sunday Pick Up, is truly incredible and always reminds me of why I fell in love with the game of football.
This photo demonstrates the wait, it is a young boy patiently waiting with the ball at his feet. This photo resonates with me deeply because I recall trying to be patient whilst eagerly watching, hoping to see a goal so that my team would be able to get on the court sooner. When your name is called at VBFC, it’s your time to shine. The wait is normally around 15-45 minutes when I have been there, but it is absolutely worth it, and it makes your time stepping on the court much more valuable, you want to win with every ounce of you. Losing is not an option. I love it, to say the least.
Genessee Daughetee and Natalie Higgins. This was while playing with a team in the UWS called LA Galaxy Orange County. We would go to the beach and play some foot volley. It was an alternative practice to normal football practice because the fields were closed where we normally trained. I love foot volley, so I was nonetheless stoked about practice getting changed to the beach. This location was in Newport Beach, California and Gen is about to receive the ball out of the air off of a serve.
Grace Thao juggling. She is a player that I train whenever I am home in California. This photo was taken in Irvine, California at Great Park Sports Complex. I seriously love Grace and her passion and dedication to this game. She reminds me of myself when I was younger, all I did was football, every day of the week on a similar schedule to Grace. Grace is an amazing player and has a bright future ahead of her.
This photo was taken in the parking lot at Great Park Sports Park in Irvine, California. It is definitely not common to see little goals like this set up in places in the US. On this day there was a game at Great Park, and I am sure this was set up in order to encourage children to play a little before the game started to get them excited.
What did you try to show with the photos? Was there any wider meaning with any of the photos?
I tried to show my experience with the game. This game has allowed me to travel the world, but it is not only limited to my professional career. Normally when I am home, or when I am traveling, I try to play as much as I can. This normally involves other aspects of football as well, with variations of the game like playing foot volley, kicking the ball with a kid in the street in Madrid, or playing pick-up with strangers and friends. I have realized my passion for this game is so much deeper than just playing professionally, but it is what I do to enjoy and relax as well.
I remember at one point when I was playing professionally, I was thinking “I am done with then game, I am over it, I am over coaches and everything, I don’t want to play anymore”. After I said that, the following weekend I went to play pick-up at VBFC (Venice Beach Football Club) and realized that this is what I am passionate about, playing this beautiful game and having a good time doing it. Then I made the decision that as long as I am enjoying playing, I will continue to play. I do not owe anybody any explanation for this.
What has been your football journey up until now?
It seems that it has been trial after trial after trial. It has been difficult, I will tell you that. Nothing has come easy in this career, and I find that to be part of the draw of why I continue to play and pursue a career in it. It has been such a spontaneous experience and I really never know where I am going to end up. I am very open minded and have always been enticed by experiencing new places and cultures within through this game. This mentality has allowed me to explore the unexplored and say yes when a new opportunity comes my way.
Some of my best times were playing on a team of all dudes, Tango Squad FC. I love those guys, and loved playing with them, they really pushed me to be my best self. I was able to see myself in a different light with them. As they are men, I was always looking inwards as to what my strengths were as a player, and what I could bring to the table for the team. I always came back to my technical ability, accuracy of my passes, and vision on the pitch. This is where I felt that I could create and contribute the most for the team. It was very different playing on a team of all men in so many different places in the world. I honestly loved it so much, every moment of it, and the amount of support I received from them was incredible.
The tough times were extremely mentally draining. When I was at Houston Dash, I really struggled to find a space where I felt comfortable and valued, it pushed me to the point where I was considering not playing anymore. That environment took away the joy I had for the game. I felt that the staff at the time had no faith in me and my ability, which resulted in me not seeing the pitch.
There was one time that I will never forget on that team, where I felt like I was nobody amongst my teammates. It was when I was excited because I got rostered for the game, I put on my jersey with a smile on my face, with the belief that I would have an opportunity to play because I had given it my all each and every day at practice the previous week. I felt like it was my time, my time to finally get playing time and prove why I deserved to be there. I warmed up like normal, then went back into the locker room to put on my jersey, like everybody else on the team.
I go to sit on the bench, the game begins, and about 5 minutes into the game an official comes over to me and another one of my teammates and says we need to change out of our jerseys. We are utterly confused in this moment, looking at one another, “Like, what?”. They proceed to tell us to go change during the game because we are not rostered for this game. We go back to the locker room. I am on the verge of tears, feeling so small, embarrassed and unworthy of putting on the Houston Dash jersey. It was very traumatic for me, because I felt that I was owed it to be told that I was not playing before the game, but apparently myself and my teammate were not worthy of this information.
This was a moment that I realized I no longer wanted to play for this team. I really cannot put into words how demeaning it felt to be asked to take off a jersey during the game. I knew I was a not valued by this team and needed to leave. This was an incredibly difficult decision to come to terms with because I felt as if I had failed myself in what I had been working for my whole life. Nonetheless I picked myself up, and I moved forward.
What are your favourite photos? Why?
This was after Tango Squad FC had finished up in Madrid, and these boys had been waiting to take the pitch to practice their shooting. When they came on, they were giggling and seemed to be having an amazing time, so I wanted to take a photo of them. I told them to come over and I would take a photo, and they put on these faces like they were so tough. I found that to be so interesting. Rather than a smile which they had on their face the whole time they were playing, they wanted to portray a more serious, tough guy persona. I just love the way the image came out, because you would never know how goofy they were on the pitch before this photo.
I had never seen any sign like this in my life until I went to Spain. The contrast of the sign with the architecture in the background really makes for a beautiful composition. In the US we had signs that say, "slow down, children present”, but never “go slow because football is present”. It thought it was pretty neat to see a sign that literally had children playing football in the street.
This is a personal favorite because it has everything I love. My grandmother and my cousin Pippa at Pippa’s home in Essex, with the football goal in the background. Grandma is having a cup of tea like she always does, and they are having a conversation. It is weird because I feel this way with my life, my background, and my heritage - no matter what I do or where I am, football is always a part, whether it be the foreground or the background. I feel as if football is a foundation of my family roots, and I think this picture inadvertently states that.
Are there any good stories connected with the people you photographed?
This is at Bonita Creek Park, in Newport Beach, California. This is a photo of Gen, my best friend, and in the background are children trying out for a team. We went to the field to practice some shooting and do some technical work. We were kicked off of the field after about 45 minutes by a man who told us his team was having try-outs. We decided to sit and watch the children, after all we were kicked off the field and wanted to see what it was all about. It was a group of young girls, and they had 4 adults with clipboards surrounding about 25 little girls.
The man started the training session and one thing specifically stood out to me - he continuously referenced the balls that were next to the girls as soccer balls. I must have heard the word “soccer ball” at least 15 times before we left. This man who continuously stated, “Get your soccer balls, girls” or "Grab the soccer balls” or “Put the soccer balls over there” was teaching these young women how to play the sport Gen and I have been playing for 24 years. It was really disappointing to hear him say the word "soccer balls” 15 times but also the knowledge that he was sharing with the girls was just not accurate at all. It was frustrating to be kicked off a field by a man who had no idea what he was doing in regard to the beautiful game, and poorly educating the youth. I won’t forget this photo for that reason.
This is before the finale for Tango Squad FC, where we played Hashtag United at Old Trafford in Manchester, England. In this photo is Diego Bertons, Jordan, Jack Downer, and Helgz. It seems like we were waiting forever that day to play. At one point we all just went out to the pitch and started sunbathing. How often does that happen? You just get to lay on the pitch at Old Trafford and sunbathe before you play one of your biggest games. In those moments I felt as if I needed to pinch myself, because this stuff just does not happen in real life.
What is the future for American and Argentine women's football?
The future for American and Argentine women’s football is the push for equality in treatment and in pay, led by our women's national team in the US. I love this movement, and I hope it transpires all the way down to the club level. We put our heart and soul into this game without receiving the amount of respect we deserve.
America is definitely ahead of Argentina for the time being, but I believe that Argentina has potential to make greater change in a smaller amount of time to catch up to the US. Also, I think that there will be immense growth within the game for young women in both countries. With the US winning the 2019 WWC it has inspired the young women to aspire for more within this sport.
Argentina’s league just became professional this past year, which is absolutely amazing and a huge step for the women’s game over here. We are currently in the first ever professional league over here for women. It has shown young women that they are capable of making a career in this sport. I feel very privileged to be one of the first internationals from another continent to play in their league, especially to be at such a prestigious club.
What do you expect to change after the success of the 2019 WWC?
I expect more support for the women’s game. This is what I expect, and what I believe professional women’s football deserves. This level is no joke, and the sacrifices that one makes to play for the national team, and to play at the professional level are insane. One thing for sure is the pay has to be better in order to let players at least survive, and make ends meet every month. These are the main things I believe will change, or I guess what I would want to change after the 2019 WWC.
What does football mean to you? Do you have a message for the next generation of young female footballers?
Football means the world to me. It has given and continues to give me the world every day. I am truly blessed and thankful for the life I have created, and the people I have met because of it. I really don’t have the words to explain how I feel about this sport, and what it has done with my life.
My message for the next generation of young female footballers is to not get caught up in trying to be somebody else in this game, be you. I am not saying don’t look up to other athletes, but do not get so caught up in who they are that you lose who you are as a player and person. There is only one you, and your experience within this game can be whatever you choose for it to be. Find your strengths as an athlete within the game of football and create your own legacy.
