‘I feel really proud, I spent some years of my childhood living in Ireland’ – Sinead Farrelly

Born in Havertown, Pennsylvania, the midfielder qualifies for Ireland through her Cavan-born father (Sean) but required an international transfer having represented the United States at underage level.

Farrelly had been in contact with WNT Manager Vera Pauw over the last two years and was invited to train with the squad in Austin, Texas this week.

“I feel really proud, I spent some years of my childhood living in Ireland. Sean was the only sibling who came to live here and Ireland has been interwoven in my life. I feel proud to be wearing this badge.

“It’s always been an option for me and vice versa. We had been in talks recently and it depended on my body and trying to get a team here. So it’s worked out really well.

“It’s an adjustment honestly and the girls have been really welcoming. It’s all been positive and I just want to keep building relationships.”

Farrelly has already impressed in two training sessions with her new colleagues according to an observer as she bids to make a sensational return to the global stage.

“The only thing I’ve learned is to take things one day at a time, not be critical to myself and have a little bit of a positive attitude every day.

“What an opportunity? I’m trying to keep that as my focus, it is an honour and I want to present and not take it for granted.”

Farrelly, ironically, was the extraordinary brave whistle-blower whose revelations of sexual coercion and harassment that she had been subjected to by Paul Riley when he was the coach of the Portland Thorns.

Pauw’s sanctions for alleged body-shaming, in a separate report contemporaneously commissioned by National Womens Soccer League authorities here, have resulted in her being sanctioned, effectively denied the chance to ever work here again.

She is determined to clear her name but the simple fact that Farrelly has accepted an invite to train under her speaks volumes.

Kelley (Maureen) O’Hara, the veteran defender with the not yet fully discovered Irish roots, plays for the same Gotham side to which Farrelly returned a fortnight ago.

It was a deeply emotional comeback, marking eight years since the time she had last featured at this level, the trauma of sex assault causing not only personal stress but also costing her a potential World Cup success or two.

While O’Hara perhaps shares some of her compatriots’ diplomatic diffidence about Pauw’s status in this country – “I honestly do not have an answer for that” – she does not conceal her enthusiasm for this most heartening of sporting comebacks.

“When I saw her on our pre-season roster, I was so excited,” says O’Hara, a double World Cup winner and one of six centurions in the US squad.

“I didn’t know she was planning on coming back but obviously I got to sit and chat with her for a bit. She was excited to come back and felt like she had more to give to the game.

“It’s been awesome having her in Gotham and I’m really excited that she’s in with Ireland now. She’s such a talented player, is such a good person and I think that people are going to be really impressed by her this season.”

Pauw herself is attempting to rein in any wild assumptions as to Farrelly’s ability to seamlessly ease back into the international arena after such a lengthy absence.

Farrelly featured for the US under-23s and was once touted for future World Cup success; it would be remarkable to think it might happen for her with the Irish.

"I need to sit down with Sinead and talk with her about the next phase," Pauw told my colleague Tony O’Donoghue yesterday.

"I've been in contact from the moment she was thinking of starting to train again. It's not just something out of the blue.

“But of course, step by step. She's been out for a long time, she needed to start getting confidence in her body again. It looks like she's there."

Meanwhile, USA boss Vlatko Andonovski drew a discreet diplomatic veil over the controversial return of Ireland manager Vera Pauw as he held his final press conference before tomorrow night’s first of two friendlies at the Q2 stadium here in Austin.

On a mizzly, breezy day borrowed from the west of Ireland, the Macedonian-born coach played down his counterpart’s upbeat enthusiasm when these pair of fixtures were originally announced two months ago.

Back then, despite knowing that she would be facing a storm of controversy after the allegations of body-shaming levelled against her in a report into abuse in the professional league here, Pauw revealed she had received the backing of her US counterpart.

“That they want us is a huge compliment and it is a huge compliment to US Soccer and to the head coach Vlatko,” she said in February. “Vlatko knows me, he knows who I am, knows that what has been written is not me."

However, when asked by independent.ie about his interaction with the Irish boss this morning, he was rather more circumspect.

“I don’t know what the reaction will be because I haven’t really seen or heard anything right now from the surrounding community,” Andonovski said.

“But on the field, and the interactions I have had with her there have been extremely professional. And the qualities she puts on the field are very good.”

While Farrelly is 33; O’Hara is 34 and, though she never once contemplated switching allegiance, she is keen to explore her Irish roots.

Perhaps even following in Heather O’Reilly’s Shelbourne footsteps.

“My dad is very Irish, he’s called Dan so it’s mostly all on his side. I feel very connected to Ireland. I’ve been laying off the pubs lately though!

“We played once in Ireland as an U23 side but honestly it was a really quick trip and I’ve never been since.

“But I would love to return with my grandfather. But obviously schedule constraints are tough. I should know my full roots but I need to get the full details.”

Ireland have never beaten the US, losing all 13 games and scoring just once while conceding 48 times but the hosts are anticipating some difficulties.

“Obviously, this is a different Ireland team,” added Andonovski. “They are very organised, very disciplined. They’re hard to score against, only one goal in nine games which speaks to the difficulties we will have against this team.

“But there’s a reason we picked a game like this. We knew it would be tough and physical, that they would present a difficult challenge.

“And that’s what we need. We need a difficult opponent and a different opponent. We need to learn in difficult games how to deal with opponents like this.

“Obviously Katie McCabe is an amazing player. Her ability to break defence and to find players in dangerous moments are tremendous.

“Then Denise O’Sullivan, we’re very familiar with her, she’s an engine for the team. The way that we describe Denise is as a player that any team would love to have.

“Two amazing players. They are two great individuals but a great team as a collective too.”