Kevin Finbarr Long (born 18 August 1990) is an Irish professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays for

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

club

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matc ...

and the Republic of Ireland national team as a defender. Long began his career with

Cork City Cork ( ; from , meaning 'marsh') is the second-largest city in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, the county town of County Cork, the largest city in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the List of settlements on the island of Ireland ...

before joining

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...

in 2010 as a 19-year-old. He never established himself as a regular in the Burnley side, and spent several spells out

on loan In sports, a loan involves a particular player being able to temporarily play for a club other than the one to which they are currently contracted. Loan deals may last from a few weeks to a full season, sometimes persisting for multiple seasons ...

, before leaving the club in 2023 to sign for

Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. The team compete in the ...

. He moved on to Toronto FC in February 2024.

Club career

Cork City

Long came through the

youth structure, before signing on professional terms in January 2008. He played for the Cork City teams that won the

FAI Youth Cup The FAI Youth Cup, also known as the FAI Umbro Youth Challenge Cup, is a cup competition organised by the FAI for youth association football clubs and teams in the Republic of Ireland. The inaugural winners were Greenmount Rangers. The competit ...

, the Munster Youth Cup and

FAI Futsal Cup The FAI Futsal Cup is a cup competition organized by the Football Association of Ireland for futsal teams based in the Republic of Ireland. The winners qualify to represent the Republic of Ireland in the UEFA Futsal Cup. The competition was introd ...

in 2009. Shortly after, the centre half made his senior City debut away to

St Patrick's Athletic St Patrick's Athletic Football Club, commonly known as Pat's or The Athletic, is a professional List of association football clubs in the Republic of Ireland, Irish association football club based in Inchicore, Dublin, that plays in the League ...

, coming on as a second-half substitute.

Burnley

With his Cork City contract due to expire in November 2009, Long was linked with English clubs including

Charlton Athletic Charlton Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Charlton, south-east London, England. The team compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Their home ground is ...

Millwall Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Poplar, north of Greenwich and Deptford, east of ...

Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional association football club in Preston, Lancashire, England. They currently play in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English footbal ...

Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...

and

Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...

. On 26 November,

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

club

confirmed that they had paid a six-figure fee and "beaten off stiff competition from top clubs north and south of the border"reported as

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...

and Evertonto engage Long on a three-and-a-half-year contract, to begin when the January 2010 transfer window opened.

Loan to Accrington Stanley

On 15 October 2010, Long joined League Two club

Accrington Stanley Accrington Stanley Football Club is a professional association football club based in Accrington, Lancashire, England, that compete in the , the fourth level of the English football league system. They have spent their entire history playing a ...

on a month's loan. He made his debut for the club in the 3–2 defeat to

Rotherham United Rotherham United Football Club, nicknamed The Millers, is a professional association football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. The team plays in EFL League One, the third tier of English football, after suffering relegation fr ...

, but was sent off after 17 minutes for a foul on

Adam Le Fondre Glenville Adam James Le Fondre (born 2 December 1986) is an English professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football), striker for Northern Premier League club F.C. United of Manchester, FC United of Man ...

. The loan was twice extended before he returned to Burnley on 18 January 2011 after cracking a bone in his foot during a match against

Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded in 1887, ...

. He rejoined Stanley at the end of January on loan for the remainder of the season. He made 17 appearances. Long again signed for Stanley on 5 August 2011, this time on loan until the following January. As he did during his first spell on loan, Long maintained his first-team status. He scored the first goal of his English career in a 2–2 draw with

Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. The club has played ...

on 8 October, and went on to score against

Bristol Rovers Bristol Rovers FC is a men's professional football club in Bristol. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club is affiliated to Bristol Rovers W.F.C., whose team play in the FA Women's National Leag ...

Torquay United Torquay United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the National League South, the sixth level of the English football league system. They have played their ho ...

and

Macclesfield Town Macclesfield Town Football Club was an association football club based in Macclesfield, Cheshire, England. Initially known as Macclesfield F.C., the club was formed in 1874 and from 1891 played home games at Moss Rose. It competed in the short ...

. He re-joined Burnley on 5 January 2012, having made 26 appearances.

Loan to Rochdale

Long's former manager at Accrington, John Coleman, signed him for

League One League One or League 1 may refer to: Association football * EFL League One, the third tier of football in England. * China League One, the second tier of football in China * K League 1, the top-tier football in South Korea * Lao League 1 * Lea ...

club

Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England, and the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale. In the United Kingdom 2021 Census, 2021 Census, the town had a population of 111,261, compared to 223,773 for the wid ...

on 27 January 2012 on loan for a month. After playing four matches with two

clean sheet In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which the losing team fails to score. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usually seen as a result of ...

s during a run of two wins and a draw, Long extended his loan spell at Rochdale until the end of April. He continued in the first team, but Rochdale were unable to avoid

relegation Promotion and relegation is used by sports leagues as a process where teams can move up and down among divisions in a league system, based on their performance over a season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are sometimes call ...

Loan to Portsmouth

On 18 August 2012, Long joined

EFL League One The English Football League One, known as Sky Bet League One for sponsorship reasons, or simply League One, is a professional association football league in England. EFL League One is the second-highest division of the English Football League an ...

side

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

on a one-month emergency loan. He made his first appearance the same day, as a member of a team of debutants starting a 1–1 draw against

AFC Bournemouth AFC Bournemouth ( ) is a professional association football club based in Kings Park, Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England. The club compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. ...

, was sent off for a second bookable offence in his third, and suffered a back injury in his fifth and last that meant his loan was not renewed.

Return to Burnley

Long scored his first goal for Burnley in a 4–3

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

defeat at

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

on 4 January 2014. He made his

debut a year later, in a 3–3 draw away to

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...

on 1 January 2015. He replaced the injured

Jason Shackell Jason Philip Shackell (born 27 September 1983) is an English former professional footballer who primarily played as a centre-back, notably for Norwich City and Derby County. Born in Stevenage, he joined Norwich City in 2000. He made his senior ...

in the 17th minute, but 20 minutes later was himself replaced, becoming the third Burnley player to be substituted during the match. He had ruptured his cruciate knee ligaments. A few days later, he signed an extended contract with Burnley to run until 2017.

Loan to Barnsley

In November 2015, after regaining full fitness, Long joined League One club

Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It is the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. The town's population was 71,422 in 2021, while the wider boroug ...

on a month's loan. He scored a late winner against

Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional association football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. As of the 2025–26 EFL League Two, 2025–26 season, the team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the Eng ...

on his debut, but was sent off in his second game, against

Peterborough United Peterborough United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third level of the English football league system. Peterborough United formed in ...

. He went on to help Barnsley reach the Football League Trophy final, successfully converting his kick in the

penalty shootout The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...

that decided the northern area final. It was his last touch of a ball for Barnsley before his loan expired.

Loan to Milton Keynes Dons

On 24 March 2016, Long joined

Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...

club

Milton Keynes Dons Milton Keynes Dons Football Club, usually abbreviated to MK Dons, is a professional association football club based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the English football leag ...

on loan for the remainder of the 2015–16 season.

Birmingham City

In January 2023, Long signed for Championship club

until the end of the season. Lack of match fitness marred his early appearanceshe had not played first-team football for eight months prior to joiningbut head coach

John Eustace John Mark Eustace (born 3 November 1979) is an English professional football coach and former player who is currently head coach of club Derby County. During his playing career, he played as a central midfielder for Coventry City, Stoke City, ...

continued to select him, and he started 20 of a possible 23 matches. Long was one of six senior professionals included on Birmingham's list of players to be released, but signed a new one-year contract with the club on 25 June. He played every minute of Birmingham's Championship season under Eustace's management, demonstrating aerial strength to complement centre-back partner Dion Sanderson's speed and ball skills, but lost his place to Emanuel Aiwu when

Wayne Rooney Wayne Mark Rooney (born 24 October 1985) is an English professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Association football, player who was most recently the head coach of EFL Championship club Plymouth Argyle F.C., Pl ...

took over as manager in October. A calf injury kept him out until January 2024, when

Tony Mowbray Anthony Mark Mowbray (born 22 November 1963) is an English football manager and former footballer who was most recently the manager of EFL Championship club West Bromwich Albion. Mowbray played for Middlesbrough, Celtic and Ipswich Town as a d ...

restored him to the team, and he started four Championship matches before leaving the club for an undisclosed fee on 20 February.

Toronto FC

Long signed for

club

on 20 February 2024. His contract covered 2024 with an option for 2025. He made his MLS debut five days later, playing the whole of the goalless opening-day visit to

FC Cincinnati Football Club Cincinnati is an American professional soccer club based in Cincinnati. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team was first announced on August 12, 2015 as a United Soccer Leag ...

. He scored his first goal for the club against

Simcoe County Rovers Simcoe County Rovers Football Club is a Canadian semi-professional soccer club based in Barrie, Ontario, that plays in the League1 Ontario Premier men's and women's divisions. The Rovers won the 2023 League1 Ontario championship and qualified ...

in a 5-0 victory at the

Canadian Championship The Canadian Championship () is an annual soccer tournament contested by Canadian professional teams. The winner is awarded the Voyageurs Cup and a berth in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. It is contested by Major League Soccer sides Toronto FC, Va ...

on April 24, 2024.

International career

In May 2017, he received his first call-up to the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...

senior side in a 37-man squad for a training camp in

Fota Island Fota (statutory spelling Foaty; ) is an island in Cork Harbour, County Cork, Ireland, just north of the larger island of Great Island. It is the home of Fota Wildlife Park—the only such zoo or animal park (besides Dublin Zoo) in the country— ...

. He made the cut for the final squad for the friendlies against

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

and

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, and made his debut on 1 June in the 3–1 defeat to Mexico at the

MetLife Stadium MetLife Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States, 5 mi (8 km) west of New York City. It opened in 2010, replacing Giants Stadium, and serves as the home for the ...

, replacing John Egan as a second-half substitute.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Republic of Ireland score listed first, score column indicates score after each Long goal.''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Long, Kevin 1990 births Living people Association footballers from County Cork Republic of Ireland men's association footballers Republic of Ireland men's international footballers Men's association football defenders Cork City F.C. players Burnley F.C. players Accrington Stanley F.C. players Rochdale A.F.C. players Portsmouth F.C. players Barnsley F.C. players Milton Keynes Dons F.C. players Birmingham City F.C. players Toronto FC players League of Ireland players English Football League players Premier League players Major League Soccer players Republic of Ireland men's futsal players Republic of Ireland expatriate men's association footballers Expatriate men's footballers in England Irish expatriate sportspeople in England Expatriate men's soccer players in Canada Irish expatriate sportspeople in Canada 21st-century Irish sportsmen