Aaron Molloy

Aaron Molloy (born 11 January 1997) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for USL Championship club Portland Timbers 2.[1]

Aaron Molloy
Personal information
Date of birth (1997-01-11) 11 January 1997
Place of birth Dublin, Ireland
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Portland Timbers 2
Number 88
Youth career
2014–2015 Bohemians
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016 Keiser Seahawks 15 (4)
2017–2019 Penn State Nittany Lions 50 (14)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016 Drogheda United 13 (2)
2016–2018 Reading United 26 (12)
2020– Portland Timbers 2 15 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 4 October 2020

Youth and college

Molloy played for the Bohemians academy for the 2014–15 season, as well as a short season in 2015 where he served as captain. He received the Bohemians U19 player of the year award for the 2014–15 season.[1]

College

After a season with Drogheda United in Ireland, Molloy decided to move to the United States to play college soccer.[2] He played in 15 matches as a freshman at Keiser University, recording his first appearance against Texas Wesleyan on 9 September 2016 and scoring his first goal at St. Thomas on 19 October.[3]

In his first season at Penn State, Molloy appeared in 16 matches. He made his Nittany Lions debut against Hofstra on 25 August 2017 and scored his first goal at UC Irvine on 1 September. In his junior season, Molloy was a team captain and appeared in 15 matches.[4] He earned Big Ten preseason honors, All-Big Ten second team and United Soccer Coaches All-North Region third-team. In his senior season, Molloy was again a team captain and appeared in 19 matches.[5]

Club career

The first senior appearance for Molloy was for Irish club Droghead United, where in 2016 he played in 13 matches and scored two goals. After the season, Molloy paused his professional career and went to the United States to play college soccer for Keiser University and Penn State University. Molloy began playing with the Philadelphia Union’s Premier Development League affiliate Reading United AC in 2016, appearing with the club for three seasons. He was named the PDL Young Player of the Year in 2017.[6]

Molloy was invited to the 2020 MLS Combine, and was subsequently drafted by Portland Timbers with the 16th pick of the 2020 MLS SuperDraft. Molloy signed with Portland Timbers 2 in the USL Championship, the club that serves as a reserve squad for the Portland Timbers.[7][2] Molloy made his Timbers debut on 18 July 2020, starting in a 3–0 loss to Tacoma Defiance.[8]

Career statistics
As of 19 July 2020[9]
Club Season League National Cup[lower-alpha 1] League Cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Drogheda United 2016 League of Ireland Premier Division 1320000—00132
Reading United 2016[10] PDL 2100——1[lower-alpha 2]031
2017[11] 11720——1[lower-alpha 2]1148
2018[11] 13420——4[lower-alpha 2]1195
Total 2612400000623614
Portland Timbers 2 2020 USL Championship 10———0010
Career total 4014400000625016
  1. All appearances in the U.S. Open Cup
  2. Appearances in the PDL playoffs

Personal life

Molloy is the son of Trevor Molloy, a fellow Irish footballer who played for teams in Ireland. Molloy studied for a Bachelor of Science degree in recreation, park, and tourism management from the College of Health and Human Development at Penn State.[2][4]

Awards
  • PDL Young Player of the Year[12]
  • Big Ten Midfielder of the Year [2]
  • All-Big Ten first team [2]
  • All-Big Ten second team [4]
  • TopDrawerSoccer 2019 Best XI First Team[13]
  • United Soccer Coaches All-North Region First Team[14]
  • United Soccer Coaches All-America Second Team.[14]
  • United Soccer Coaches All-North Region third-team member [4]
  • Sun Conference Freshman of the Year[2]
  • All-Sun Conference second team[4]

References
  1. "Aaron Molloy at Extratime.ie". Extratime.ie. Extratime. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  2. Finn, Sam. "Blog #2 Aaron Molloy "Just take the step.."". SSUSA.co.uk. Scholarship Sports USA. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  3. "Aaron Molloy - 2016 - #22 Men's Soccer". Keiser University Athletics. Keiser University. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  4. "Aaron Molloy - Men's Soccer". Go PSU Sports. Penn State University Athletics. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  5. "2019 Men's Soccer Cumulative Statistics". Penn State University Athletics. Penn State University.
  6. Davidson, Jim (4 October 2018). "The 'Irish Messi': Aaron Molloy's Trans-Atlantic Odyssey". OnwardState.com. Onward State. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  7. "Timbers select midfielder Aaron Molloy in first round of 2020 MLS SuperDraft". Portland Timbers. Major League Soccer. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  8. https://www.uslchampionship.com/tacomadefiance-portlandtimbers2-2092793
  9. Aaron Molloy at Soccerway. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  10. "Aaron Molloy – PDL profile". USLLeagueTwo.com. Premier Development League. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  11. "Aaron Molloy – Reading United profile". ReadingUnitedAC.com. Reading United AC. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  12. Ralph, Matthew (25 August 2017). "Reading United standout Aaron Molloy ready for bigger stage at Penn State". Brotherly Game. SBNation. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  13. "2019 Men's Division I Postseason Awards | College Soccer". TopDrawerSoccer.com. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  14. Aaron Molloy at Major League Soccer
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