Omar Jarun (; born 10 December 1983) is a Palestinian former

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 is the assistant coach of Huntsville City in

MLS Next Pro MLS Next Pro (MLSNP) is a men's professional association football, soccer league in the United States and Canada that is affiliated with Major League Soccer (MLS). It launched in 2022 with 21 teams and now comprises 27 reserve sides of MLS clu ...

. Jarun has played professionally in the United States, Canada, Poland, Belgium, and India.

Early and personal life

Jarun was born in

Kuwait City Kuwait City (; ) is the capital and largest city of Kuwait. Located at the heart of the country on the south shore of Kuwait Bay on the Persian Gulf, it is the political, cultural and economic center of the emirate, containing Kuwait's Seif Pal ...

, Kuwait to an American mother and a Palestinian father from

Tulkarem Tulkarm or Tulkarem (, ''Ṭūlkarm'') is a Palestinian city in the West Bank, the capital of the Tulkarm Governorate of the State of Palestine. The Israeli city of Netanya is to the west, and the Palestinian cities of Nablus and Jenin to the ...

. Jarun emigrated to the United States during the

First Gulf War The Gulf War (1990–1991) was an armed conflict between Iraq and a multinational military coalition led by the United States, triggered by the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in August 1990. Persian Gulf War may also refer to: * Shatt al-Arab conflict ...

in 1990; his family escaped after bombs went off and missiles were shot near their apartment. He was raised in

Peachtree City, Georgia Peachtree City is the largest city in Fayette County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 38,244. Peachtree City is located in southern Metro Atlanta. Golf carts are widely used in the city. Over 10,000 hous ...

Playing career

Club career

Jarun played college soccer for the

University of Memphis The University of Memphis (Memphis) is a public university, public research university in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1912, the university has an enrollment of more than 20,000 students. The university maintains the Herff Col ...

and the

University of Dayton The University of Dayton (UD) is a Private university, private, Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1850 by the Society of Mary (Marianists), Society of Mary, it is one of three Marianist universities in the U ...

, and has played club football for

Fort Wayne Fever Fort Wayne Fever was an American soccer team based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States. Founded in 2003, the team played in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, until 2009, after which the ...

Chicago Fire Premier Chicago Fire U-23 was an American soccer team based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 2001, the team last played in the PDL, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. They last played in 2016, choosing to leave the PDL. ...

Atlanta Silverbacks The Atlanta Silverbacks FC were an American professional soccer club based in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1998 as Atlanta Ruckus, the club played in many leagues over the years before folding after the 2015 season. The team played its home game ...

Vancouver Whitecaps Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Vancouver. The Whitecaps compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. The MLS iteration of the club was established on March 18, ...

Flota Świnoujście Flota Świnoujście () is a Polish professional football club based in Świnoujście, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, that competes in group II of the III liga. Flota, as a club, runs three sports sections: soccer, bridge and table tennis. The club ...

Pogoń Szczecin Pogoń Szczecin Spółka Akcyjna, commonly referred to as Pogoń Szczecin (), is a Polish professional football club based in Szczecin, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, which plays in the Ekstraklasa, the top tier of the national football league s ...

FC Tampa Bay The Tampa Bay Rowdies are an American professional soccer team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The club was founded in 2008 and first took the pitch in 2010. Since 2017, the Rowdies have been members of the USL Championship in the second tier ...

Arka Gdynia Morski Związkowy Klub Sportowy Arka Gdynia () is a professional football club based in Gdynia, Poland, that plays in the Ekstraklasa after winning the 2024–25 I liga. The club was founded as Klub Sportowy Gdynia in 1929. History The h ...

and

Charleroi Charleroi (, , ; ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It is the largest city in both Hainaut and Wallonia. The city is situated in the valley of the Sambre, in the south-west of Belgium, not ...

. He was released by Pogon on 1 March 2011. Jarun signed with

of the

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League (NASL) was the top-level major professional soccer league in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984. It is considered the first soccer league to be successful on a national scale in the ...

on 29 March 2011. Jarun after brief spell with

he signed a contract with

, under

Petr Nemec Petr is a Czech form of the masculine given name Peter and a surname. For information on Petr as a first name, see Peter (given name). Given name * Petr Aven (born 1955), Russian billionaire banker, economist and politician * Petr Čech (born 1982 ...

, who was the manager that brought Jarun to Poland when he was the

manager. On 7 January 2014 Jarun signed for NASL club

Ottawa Fury FC Ottawa Fury Football Club was a Canadian professional soccer club based in Ottawa, Ontario. The club competed in the North American Soccer League and USL Championship and played its home games at TD Place Stadium. The Ottawa Fury FC were di ...

. Jarun signed for

I-League The I-League is the men's second professional football division of the Indian football league system behind the Indian Super League. Administered by the All India Football Federation, it is currently contested by 13 clubs. It operates as a s ...

club

Bharat FC Bharat Football Club (also known as Kalyani Bharat Football Club) was an Indian professional football club based in Pune, Maharashtra. Founded in 2014, the club usually competed in I-League, then top tier of Indian football league system. The t ...

on 20 March 2015 for an 18-month deal completing the club's Asian player quota. In June 2015 he announced his retirement from professional football. However, on 16 April 2016, it was announced that Jarun joined

Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States, forming part of the United States soccer league system. The league will featu ...

club

Peachtree City MOBA Peachtree City MOBA is an American soccer team based in Peachtree City, Georgia. Founded as a soccer academy in 2013, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the United States soccer league system. History The MOBA Soccer Academy, ...

International career

Jarun made his international debut for the Palestinian national team in 2007, and has appeared in FIFA World Cup qualifying matches,

AFC Challenge Cup The AFC Challenge Cup was an international football competition for Asian Football Confederation (AFC) member countries that were categorised as "emerging countries" in the "Vision Asia" programme. It was created by former AFC president Mohammed ...

WAFF Championship The West Asian Football Federation Championship (), or simply WAFF Championship, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the West Asian Football Federation (WAFF), the ...

Coaching career

Following one season as a player for Peachtree City, Jarun became an assistant for the club prior to the

2017 PDL season The 2017 USL Premier Development League season is the 23rd season of the PDL. The league consisted of 72 teams playing in 10 divisions. The Michigan Bucks entered the season as the defending champions, but their title defense campaign ended with ...

, as owner Volker Harms took over manager duties. 2017 was a dismal season for MOBA, as they went 2-10-2 and finished last place in the division, failing to qualify for the playoffs for the second straight year. Jarun was named manager of the club for the 2018 season in November 2017, with former Jamaican international

Nicholas Addlery Nicholas Addlery (born 7 December 1981) is a former Jamaican football player who is a former assistant for PDL club Peachtree City MOBA. Playing career Youth and College Addlery attended high school at Jamaica College, and played in the Man ...

being hired as an assistant. Alongside his duties as manager, Jarun was also a member of the MOBA youth coaching staff. In October 2018 he became manager of the

Atlanta United FC Academy Atlanta United FC is an American professional soccer club based in Atlanta. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Domestically, the club has won one MLS Cup, one U.S. Open Cup, and one Eastern ...

. In June 2021 he became assistant coach of Atlanta United 2 in the USL Championship. On January 18, 2023, Jarun was named to the first-ever technical staff for

club Huntsville City, the reserve side for

Nashville SC Nashville Soccer Club is an American professional soccer club based in Nashville, Tennessee. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team spent two seasons in the USL Championship before joining ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jarun, Omar 1983 births Living people Sportspeople from Peachtree City, Georgia Sportspeople from Fayette County, Georgia Footballers from Kuwait City Palestinian men's footballers Men's association football central defenders Memphis Tigers men's soccer players University of Memphis alumni Dayton Flyers men's soccer players Fort Wayne Fever players Chicago Fire U-23 players Atlanta Silverbacks FC players Vancouver Whitecaps (1986–2010) players Flota Świnoujście players Pogoń Szczecin players Tampa Bay Rowdies players Arka Gdynia players Royal Charleroi S.C. players Ottawa Fury FC players Bharat FC players Peachtree City MOBA players USL First Division players USL League Two players North American Soccer League (2011–2017) players I liga players Belgian Pro League players Palestine men's international footballers Palestinian expatriate men's footballers Palestinian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Palestinian expatriate sportspeople in Canada Palestinian expatriate sportspeople in Poland Palestinian expatriate sportspeople in Belgium Palestinian expatriate sportspeople in India Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Expatriate men's soccer players in Canada Expatriate men's footballers in Poland Expatriate men's footballers in Belgium Expatriate men's footballers in India People from Tulkarm Clayton State Lakers men's soccer coaches Association football coaches Atlanta United FC non-playing staff Expatriate soccer coaches in the United States