Paul Keegan (footballer)

Football player infobox
playername = Paul Keegan


fullname = Paul Keegan
height = height|m=1.87
dateofbirth = Birth date and age|1972|12|30|mf=y
cityofbirth = Dublin
countryofbirth = Republic of Ireland
currentclub = Dumbarton
position = Striker
years = 1991-1992
1992-1996
1996-2000
2000-2002
2000-2002
2002-2004
2004-2006
2006-2007
2007-2008
2008-
clubs = St Patrick's Athletic
Boston College
New England Revolution

Bray Wanderers
Bohemian
Longford Town
St Patrick's Athletic
Motherwell
Partick Thistle
Dumbarton
caps(goals) = 0024 0(10)
0085 0(30)
090 0(20)
000 0(0)
00 0(21)
065 (18)
053 (19)
054 0(19)
033 0(15)
0012 0(5)
029 0(5)

Paul Keegan (born December 30, 1972 in Dublin, Ireland) is an Irish professional footballer. Keegan, currently playing for Dumbarton, was the first Irishman to play in Major League Soccer in the US.

Keegan joined St Patrick's Athletic from schoolboy football but could not break into Brian Kerr's successful side. In 1992, Keegan accepted the offer of a soccer scholarship by Boston College where he learned his trade under the tutelage of renowned forwards coach Darren Dunne. After a successful college career, Keegan was drafted by the New England Revolution in the first ever MLS college draft in 1996. Keegan stayed until 2000. In 2000 Keegan played four times for the Boston Bulldogs in the US A-League to help recover from a knee injury.

Keegan got his first taste of League of Ireland football when he was loaned to St Patrick's Athletic in 1999. Playing mostly off the substitutes bench, Keegan helped Pats secure their second successive league championship. At the end of the season he returned to New England. The following year he joined Bray Wanderers and his performances there earned a move to title chasing Bohemians in 2002. Bohemians won the league in Keegan's first season as he developed a great relationship with league leading scorer, Glen Crowe. In 2004, Keegan joined Longford Town and ended the season by scoring the winning goal in the FAI Cup final. Keegan joined St Patrick's Athletic for the third time as manager John McDonnell looked for experienced strikers to add to his young team.

After a year back with St Patrick's, he moved to Motherwell in January 2007 for an undisclosed feecite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/motherwell/6222643.stm|publisher=BBC Sport website|title=Well snap up Eircom League trio|date=1 January 2007] .

He moved to Scotland's Partick Thistle in August 2007. He has since joined Dumbarton.

References

External links

* [http://www.stpatsfc.com/player.php?playerid=35 Paul Keegan @ stpatsfc.com]
* [http://www.revolutionsoccer.net/search/index.cfm?ac=searchdetail&pid=17631&pcid=115 New England Revolution place Keegan on waiver]
* [http://www.mlsnet.com/MLS/history/archive.jsp?year=1996&content=superdraft Keegan chosen 6th overall in 1996 college Draft]
* [http://www.welltrustfc.net/index.php?option=com_wrapper&page=http://www.welltrustfc.net/players/player.php?id=207 Paul Keegan's WTFC.net player profile]