3 days ago
Denise O'Sullivan ‘excited' by unique benefit she'll have over Ireland teammates when USA friendlies arrive
DENISE O'Sullivan is available for Ireland's back-to-back friendlies against the USA later this month.
But captain Katie McCabe will, as expected, sit out the Stateside tour to prevent burnout.
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Katie McCabe earns a well needed rest
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Huge boost for Ireland to have Denise O'Sullivan for US tour
And manager Carla Ward revealed that 'a number' of players
O'Sullivan, 31, is in the middle of a busy season with North Carolina Courage.
But the Cork native pledged: 'I'll be in the US. It's my one week in the whole year I get off from Courage, but that's OK.
"I'm happy to play because any chance I get to play for my country, I want to be there.
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'I'm excited. For once, I don't have to travel 20 hours. I won't have jet lag, but the rest will.
"USA are a top, top team and we can go out to challenge ourselves. It will be a brilliant experience.'
O'Sullivan's trip home ended with mixed emotions after Ireland secured a
That fell well short of the four-goal win required for promotion to League A of the Nations League.
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The star midfielder admitted: 'I'm definitely disappointed. We wanted to get the 4-0 win, but the team played really well, especially in the first half.
"We created a lot of chances and we had to put those away.
Watch Robbie Brady aim hilarious dig at Ireland teammates after winning Player of the Year award
'In the second half, we moved away from the game plan. We could have played a bit more.
"The space was there to do it, to keep building, and that's how we created chances in the first half.
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'Definitely mixed emotions, but we gave it our all.'
PLAY-OFF PROSPECTS
The Girls in Green will get a second chance against one of Austria, Iceland, Belgium, or Denmark in a two-legged promotion/relegation play-off next October.
The winners will also be guaranteed a play-off spot for the 2027 World Cup. Ireland's opponents will be revealed in a draw at midday tomorrow.
O'Sullivan insisted: 'At least having another chance is a positive. We want to be at that World Cup in Brazil.
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"That
'It still hurts a lot because the pain hasn't gone from that game.'
The agony of missing out on Euro 2025 will only increase when the tournament kicks off next month in Switzerland.
O'Sullivan said: 'I think I'll be switching the TV off, doing everything I can not to watch it. But I have team-mates from Courage playing in it.
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Since
'I know I'm saying I'll be switching the TV off, but I'll watch to cheer them on. It's still devastating not to be there, for sure.'
O'Sullivan believes the switch remains a work in progress, adding: 'It took a long time to find our feet. We're still trying to get used to the way Carla and the staff want us to play, but five wins out of six is positive.
'It will definitely take time. The way Carla and the staff are implementing her style of play, it doesn't happen overnight.
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'You can see even in the first half how we created a number of chances. As a team, we want to keep doing that and get better.'
