Technically, Naomi Osaka is Denise O’Sullivan’s boss. But that is another day’s work.
O'Sullivan sits for a media pow-wow ahead of her latest turbo-charged performance for the Republic of Ireland, this Tuesday, against the seemingly invincible Swedes in Gothenburg.
The Gamla Ullevi stadium will be manic. O’Sullivan and Katie McCabe must bring the chaos. They always do.
But Monday last, out in Castleknock Hotel, there is an elephant in the room. The second question indirectly refers to Paul Riley. O'Sullivan seems ready to talk publicly about what happened, so question three, four, five and six revisit the "trauma" experienced by female athletes.
The former North Carolina Courage coach is never mentioned by name. Nor is O’Sullivan ever expected to delve into the allegations of sexual coercion and emotional abuse levelled at the English man by former players Sinead Farrelly and Meleana Shim.
Riley did play a key role in reviving O’Sullivan’s career in US soccer, up until his dismissal last October after The Athletic published detailed accusations by Farrelly and Shim spanning several years.
Riley denies any wrongdoing. Riley also continues to ‘retweet’ and ‘like’ on social media.
Life moves on for the NC Courage players too.
“Nothing prepares you for that,” says O’Sullivan. “Honestly, it was a big shock, an emotional rollercoaster.
“You have your coach there who has been your coach for five years. He’s a big influence on your career and life but then he’s gone. Training one day and gone the next. You haven’t seen or spoken [to him]. Nothing can prepare you for that. It’s just about mentality. As a group, we were very close anyway. That helped make us even closer.
“I was attracted there because of how big the club was and I’d heard how good the training environment was,” she explains. “I went there not knowing that any of this had happened.
“I’m happy now and I’m still happy at the club. That’s the most important thing.”
There followed a reckoning across the National Women’s Soccer League, with commissioner Lisa Baird resigning after it came to light that the governing body choose not to reinvestigate Riley’s alleged behaviour.
O’Sullivan needed a summer in Cork to allow invisible wounds to heal. Such was the suffocating atmosphere around the remainder of last season, she just wanted to go home. Not a ball was kicked for almost three months.
Cork air
“At the time, honestly, we just wanted to be gone from there. It was so mentally tiring on everyone that we wanted our season to be done. Our heads weren’t on playing.
“Once the season ended, we all went different directions. I went home because I needed to go home. Being with family really helped, just switching off mentally from all of it.”
The unique Cork air?
“Exactly.”
The 28-year-old returned to Cary, North Carolina as a green card-wielding resident.
“I’ve been told a few times I am getting an American accent,” she says in a musical Cork lilt. “I am not happy about it. Aw God.”
In July 2017 O’Sullivan was picked up by NC Courage. It was a late lifeline to remain in the NWSL, just before a move to Germany was caused by the inability of Houston Dash coach Omar Morales to realise the greatest Irish female player to ever lace cleats was at his disposal.
“She has a genius soccer IQ that makes her a brilliant reader and manipulator of the game,” said Riley after O’Sullivan was waived by Houston.
Morales was gone in six months, replaced by Vera Pauw, who also left the Texan franchise after one season, just missing out on coaching O'Sullivan. In 2018 they were finally united as Ireland coach and conjurer.
“Night and day,” says O’Sullivan on the Dash set-up compared to Courage. “I don’t know there is just something about the training [at Courag], the intensity is really, really good.
“No disrespect to the Dash, but it is a really good environment. We have standards that we set and we hold each other accountable. If you are not doing something right you are going to know about it or if you are not working hard you are going to be told, it’s great to be part of.”
That O'Sullivan can be so complimentary about the franchise so soon after the Riley scandal sounds like a tribute to the assistant subsequently made head coach Sean Nahas and the way co-owners Osaka and Steve Malik handled the fallout.
Riley was hired by the Courage in January 2017, almost two years after Shim’s emailed complaint to the Portland Thorns ownership. Riley was released by the Thorns at the end of the 2015 season when the “findings” of that investigation factored into this decision.
New energy
“The club have been working hard to do things better for everyone,” says O’Sullivan. “We’ve recharged from that and there’s a whole new energy in the squad. We’ve moved past it now, I would say.”
As news of Riley’s alleged behaviour broke around the world, O’Sullivan and Courage teammate Diane Caldwell arrived into Ireland camp to prepare for Sweden in Tallaght last October.
Pauw took centre stage at an emotional press conference by revealing that abuse has occurred “everywhere I have coached” in a 24-year career spanning six countries. Except for Ireland. “Yet,” Pauw added. “And I hope it keeps like that.”
The Irish squad gathered around O’Sullivan and Caldwell, providing safe haven to speak freely, but all they wanted to do was prepare and perform in one of the biggest matches in the history of Irish football.
“I just wanted to switch off from that whole situation and get on with things. It was important for the team. I have a responsibility here and the team needs me at my best. I tried to do that at the time.
“When I came in, Vera and some other people asked did I want to speak about it. We said we’d like to come in and focus on the games. They respected that but were very supportive.”
O’Sullivan’s touch was beautifully subtle on a night when tall Swedish opponents clogged the passing lanes. Ending the 1-0 defeat with her elbow requiring an X-ray, a near miraculous four-day recovery led to an iron-willed showing in Helsinki. The usual.
Recently, at the Pinatar Cup in Portugal, Pauw infused a speculative line-up against Russia with O’Sullivan and McCabe for the last 15 minutes. There was an instant energy surge, some sharp questioning of inept refereeing, biting tackles and above all else a calmness in possession.
“Katie and myself brought that energy but so did every other player.”
That is what makes them so special. Teammates would follow them into a burning house.
“It’s going to be a tough game but it is a game I want to play in,” she says of Tuesday in Sweden. “I want to play against the world’s best players, the best teams. It is something all players should want to do.
“I love playing these teams. I love high intensity games – I fit right in there. Just the adrenaline and as much as it is tiring, I think we all enjoy playing against these high level teams, for sure.”
This is the year, isn’t it, the campaign that will define her pioneering generation and Pauw’s time as manager?
“It is definitely a huge year for us. The goal is to qualify for the World Cup obviously. These next four games are massive but I only take it one game at a time. We know what we have to do to be our best going to Sweden.”
The next move for O’Sullivan is a European club. We ask about the English Super League and she talks about Europe.
“I am not really sure yet, somewhere in Europe for sure. I got a taste for what England is like playing with Brighton for a few months. I know it is a really good league but there are also other good leagues in Europe that I have interest in.”
Need the sun on your back?
“We’ll see, but Europe is in the back of my mind, yeh.”
A mention of the Camp Nou is ignored but she would fit right in there too.
