Lee Desmond (born 22 January 1995) 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 as a

centre back In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...

centre midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

for

USL Championship The USL Championship (USLC) is a men's professional association football, soccer league in the second tier of the United States soccer league system#Men's leagues, United States league system. It is organized by the United Soccer League (USL) a ...

club

Sacramento Republic Sacramento Republic FC is an American professional soccer team based in Sacramento, California, that competes in the Western Conference of the USL Championship, the second level in US soccer. Co-founded by Warren Smith and Joe Wagoner in 2012, t ...

Career

Early career

Desmond played youth football with Malahide United,

Crumlin United Crumlin United Football Club is an Irish association football club based in Crumlin, Dublin. Founded in 1967, the club is one of the biggest producers of football talent in Ireland. They are linked with Nottingham Forest. Their main rival is C ...

and Cherry Orchard before being picked up by English

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 ...

side

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 ...

, where he played in their youth and reserve teams. He was released by Newcastle at the end of their 2012–2013 season despite playing regularly for their development squad. Desmond joined Shelbourne in July 2013 after playing against them in a friendly while on trial with

Ipswich Town Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. The club currently competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. Ipswich Town were founded in 1878 but did not turn ...

and impressed Shels manager

Johnny McDonnell Johnny McDonnell was an Irish soccer player during the 1900s and 1910s. He was born in Kilcolgan Co Galway on 8 October 1885. He started his footballing career with Athlone Town FC and then played for the amateur Bohemians Bohemian or Bohemi ...

enough for him to offer the youngster the chance to join the club. He played for the Shelbourne under 19 team for the 2013–2014 season before signing for the Shels first team in November 2013.

Shelbourne

After standing out for the club's under 19 side, he was called up to the first team for the 2014 season as they aimed to win promotion to the

League of Ireland Premier Division The League of Ireland Men's Premier Division (), also known as the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in the Republic of Ireland and the highest level of the Republic of I ...

. Desmond became a mainstay in the first team, playing at both left-back and centre-back throughout the season. He scored his first goal in senior football on 23 May 2014 in a 1–1 draw away to

Finn Harps Finn Harps Football Club is an Irish football club that play in the First Division of the League of Ireland, as of 2023. The club was founded in 1954 and elected to the league in 1969. They hail from Ballybofey, County Donegal and play their ho ...

. The season ended in disappointment however as Shels failed to earn promotion as they lost out to

Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...

in the Semi-final of the Promotion Playoffs, although Desmond did win the Shelbourne Players' Player of the Year award after a very impressive first season in senior football.

St Patrick's Athletic

Desmond's impressive season with Shelbourne attracted interest from Shels'

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 ...

rivals and

FAI Cup The Football Association of Ireland Senior Challenge Cup (FAI Cup), known as the Sports Direct FAI Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland (as well as D ...

holders,

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 ...

from the

. He was announced to have signed for the Saints on 11 November 2014, alongside Jason McGuinness and

Ciarán Kilduff Ciarán Kilduff (born 29 September 1988) is an Irish football manager and former professional Association football, footballer, who is the manager of League of Ireland First Division club Dundalk F.C., Dundalk. He has played for seven clubs in ...

. Desmond featured throughout the season for Pats, mainly at centre-back but also at left or right back in the absence of Ian Bermingham or

Ger O'Brien Gerard O'Brien (born 2 July 1984) is an Irish former professional footballer who played in the League of Ireland as a defender. He is the current Director of Football at St Patrick's Athletic, who he spent 5 seasons playing with. His former c ...

. He started in many important games including playing in both legs of their

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...

games against

Skonto Riga Skonto FC was a Latvian professional football club, active from 1991 until 2016. The club played at the Skonto Stadium in Riga. Skonto won the Virsliga in the first 14 seasons of the league's resumption (15 in total), and often provided the cor ...

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

. On 19 September 2015 he started at left back in the 2015 League of Ireland Cup Final against

Galway United Galway United Football Club () is an Irish professional football club based in Galway. They play in the League of Ireland Premier Division following promotion from the First Division in 2023. They were founded as Galway Rovers F.C. during the ...

and won his first winners medal at senior level, as the Saints won on penalties after a 0–0 draw. At the club's end of season awards he was voted as Young Player of the Year by the St Pat's supporters following a brilliant debut season. Desmond's second season at Pat's proved to be a more difficult one for him, as he lost his place in the centre of defence following some errors resulting in goals for the opposition. Midway through the season, he was deployed by

Liam Buckley Liam Buckley (born 14 April 1960), is an Irish former professional footballer and manager. During his playing career he made two appearances for the Republic of Ireland national team. Playing career Buckley began his League of Ireland career wi ...

as a defensive midfielder following poor performances by various regular choice midfielders and Desmond impressed supporters in games this role including a 4–1 win over

Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...

in the 2016 League Cup Final to help the Saints retain the trophy. The 2017 season saw Pat's involved in a relegation battle, with the team bottom of the table and struggling mid-season. Having played many games as a holding midfielder in the first half of the season, Desmond was returned to centre back and formed an excellent defensive partnership with mid-season signing Jordi Balk. The team's form also picked up in the second half of the season as they managed to finish in 8th position with Desmond contributing heavily, playing in all but one of the club's 33 league games. The 2018 season saw Desmond voted Player of the Year by the club's supporters. Desmond made his 200th appearance for the club on 23 April 2021 in a 2–0 win over

Finn Park Finn Park () is a football stadium in Ballybofey, County Donegal in Ireland. The home ground of League of Ireland team Finn Harps, it has a 'safe capacity' of 4,200 with 351 seats. The first recorded Finn Harps game in Finn Park was in May 1954 ...

. On 28 November 2021 Desmond was named Man of the Match in the 2021 FAI Cup Final for his performance over 120 minutes as his side defeated rivals

Bohemians Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, originally practised by 19th–20th century European and American artists and writers. * Bohemian style, a f ...

4–3 on penalties following a 1–1 draw after extra time in front of a record

Final crowd of 37,126 at the

Aviva Stadium Aviva Stadium, also known as Lansdowne Road (, ) or Dublin Arena (during UEFA competitions), is a List of stadiums in Ireland by capacity, sports stadium located in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, with a capacity for 51,711 spectators ...

. This would prove to be his last game for the club as he departed at the end of the season.

Sacramento Republic

On 23 December 2021, Desmond signed for

club

on a two-year deal. Desmond made his debut for the club on 13 March 2022 in a 3–1 win over

El Paso Locomotive El Paso Locomotive FC is an American professional soccer team based in El Paso, Texas. Founded in 2018, the team made its debut in the USL Championship in 2019. History First season In February 2018, the United Soccer League announced that El P ...

Heart Health Park Heart Health Park is a sports venue located on the grounds of California Exposition, Cal Expo in Sacramento, California, United States. The soccer-specific stadium has a capacity of 11,569 and includes a full-sized (120 x 80 yard) soccer field. ...

. Desmond featured in every round of the club's run to the final of the

U.S. Open Cup The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a knockout cup competition in men's soccer in the United States. It is the country's oldest ongoing national soccer competition. The competition was first held duri ...

, including wins over

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 ...

sides

San Jose Earthquakes The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional association football, soccer club based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Origin ...

Sporting Kansas City Sporting Kansas City is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The ad ...

and

LA Galaxy The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Gal ...

. On 7 September 2022, Desmond played in the 2022 U.S. Open Cup Final as his side were defeated 3–0 by Orlando City in front of a sold out crowd of 25,527 at the

Exploria Stadium Inter&Co Stadium (formerly Orlando City Stadium and Exploria Stadium) is a soccer-specific stadium in downtown Orlando, Florida. The stadium is located along West Church Street in the Parramore neighborhood west of downtown Orlando. It is th ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. In September 2022, Desmond successfully underwent a procedure on his right leg to address lingering retrocalcaneal bursitis and

achilles tendinitis Achilles tendinitis, also known as Achilles tendinopathy, is soreness of the Achilles tendon. It is accompanied by alterations in the tendon's structure and mechanical properties. The most common symptoms are pain and swelling around the back of ...

, with the procedure ruling him out for the remainder of the season. On 26 August 2023, he captained his team in his 300th career appearance, in a 2–0 defeat at home to Orange County. On 25 September 2024, Desmond signed a new contract, extending his time with the club.

International career

Desmond was called up to the Republic of Ireland under-21s shortly after he signed for

alongside fellow centre back

Sean Hoare Sean Matthew Hoare (1963 – c. 17 July 2011) was a British entertainment journalist. He contributed to articles on show business, from actors to reality television stars. He played a central role in contributing to exposing the News Internati ...

. Desmond, along with fellow

teammates Conor Kearns and Shane Griffin, was called up to train with 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 squad on 31 August 2020, in what was new manager Stephen Kenny's first training session with the squad.

Career statistics

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Desmond, Lee 1995 births Living people People from Donaghmede Association footballers from Dublin (city) Republic of Ireland men's association footballers Republic of Ireland men's under-21 international footballers Newcastle United F.C. players Shelbourne F.C. players St Patrick's Athletic F.C. players League of Ireland players Men's association football defenders Republic of Ireland men's youth international footballers Cherry Orchard F.C. players Crumlin United F.C. players Malahide United F.C. players Republic of Ireland expatriate men's association footballers Irish expatriate sportspeople in England Sacramento Republic FC players Expatriate men's footballers in England Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Irish expatriate sportspeople in the United States 21st-century Irish sportsmen