When the Ireland squad was named last week for the final two games of the World Cup qualifying campaign, one name jumped out – that of Kevin O’Toole.
Widely unknown among Irish football fans, the 26-year-old New York City man was a bolt from the blue among the defenders for the pivotal double-header against Portugal and Hungary.
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A left wingback for his MLS club, O’Toole’s maiden call-up comes amid something of an injury crisis in that position. Robbie Brady remains sidelined, as does Callum O’Dowda, while Ryan Manning is suspended for the Portugal game and Josh Honohan has been left out.
O’Toole was up for media duties this week, and shed light on how he had come to be called up by Ireland head coach Heimir HallgrÃmsson.
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Kevin O’Toole sheds light on unexpected Ireland call-up
11 November 2025; Kevin O’Toole during a Republic of Ireland training session at the FAI National Training Centre in Abbotstown, Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Speaking to the Irish media at FAI HQ this week, Kevin O’Toole explained the Irish heritage that made him eligible for a call-up to the Ireland senior team.
“My grandfather was a Dubliner. He’s from Dun Laoghaire,” O’Toole said.
“He emigrated to the US in 1958 and started a family in the US. I was born in New York City. I’ve been back quite a bit; my sister [Jillian O’Toole] plays football in Limerick with Treaty United, so I was here in the summer watching a match with her. I’ve always loved my visits here.”
O’Toole also revealed that he had taken in the K Club and Doonbeg on a 2023 golfing trip to the country.
The New York-born man said that he has always dreamt of playing for Ireland and doing his late grandfather proud.
“It’s just an honour to represent Ireland and honour my grandfather’s memory,” O’Toole said.
This was always a dream of mine, to represent this country and to do it for my grandfather.
We’ve got really strong Irish roots and connection…[I’ve] always been a proud descendant of an Irishman, and he’s always instilled those values in us. I’m just really happy to be representing this country.
I’ve been thinking about him a lot since the call-up. I just feel like he’s been doing his service from above for me, to get me this opportunity. My dad is super proud, my mom is super proud, and I just want to do a job for them because they’ve invested so much in my career process.
Some of O’Toole’s family will travel over for this camp. His fiancée Emma will travel over with his sister Jillian, who had returned to the US at the conclusion of the WLOI season. His aunt will also make the journey, though he is less certain of his parents travelling.
My dad is in California and he just started a new job there, so it’s quite a big hike for him. My mom is laid up with a couple of herniated disks, so we’ll see if she’s able to make it.
It has been a whirlwind few days for Irish football fans (and pundits), who have had to acquaint themselves with a player who was on the radar of few for a potential call-up.
For O’Toole himself, though, the call-up is less of a surprise.
“I’ve been in discussion with the head coach for about a year now. It was just a matter of getting all the paperwork done and sorted.” O’Toole said.
The defender reveals that talks really ramped up around February, and were accelerated by an old friend of Heimir HallgrÃmsson’s from his previous stint as Jamaica manager.
My real interest started growing a couple of years ago, as I kind of advanced with New York City and became sort of a mainstay starter with the club. That’s when the opportunity sort of rang a bell, so to speak.
The discussions really started back in February, I had a conversation over the phone with Heimir.
He coached one of my current club teammates, Tayvon Gray, at Jamaica previously. He contacted Tayvon, and Tayvon did a nice little service in talking up to the coach.
From there, it was just about finding the right moment. It couldn’t be a bigger moment for it, so I’m really happy.
It may be the first instance yet of HallgrÃmsson’s previous experience with Jamaica directly impacting his work as Ireland head coach.
Kevin O’Toole could scarcely have chosen a more pivotal window for his first call-up.
Ireland’s hopes of reaching the World Cup next year (which will be held in the nation of O’Toole’s birth) are hanging by a thread.
They will almost certainly need a massive result against Nations League champions Portugal on Thursday night if they are to have any hope of forcing their way into the playoffs.
The prospect of his debut coming against one of the best teams in the world is not something that fazes O’Toole.
We have the opportunity to do something really big. The Portugal match is going to be a huge challenge but I think all the guys are really up for it.
There’s been a great momentum and buzz in the group, that we all believe, we all feel that we can get the job done and find a way to qualify, and move into Hungary with everything to play for.
Obviously, it’s not super traditional integrating a new player at this point in a qualification campaign. I’m aware of that. The coaching staff have been super supportive in bringing me onboard really quickly. The guys in the squad have been unbelievable as well in supporting me and welcoming me into the group.
With such a dearth of traditional left full-backs in the squad, O’Toole may well see game time on Thursday. When asked what he believes his biggest strengths are, the NYCFC man said he hoped to bring bursting box-to-box energy and confidence in 1v1s.
Should he start, he is likely to be marking a Champions League winger in Pedro Neto or Rafa Leao, so he will certainly need that confidence.
As a fan of the Irish team for many years, Kevin O’Toole says that Robbie Brady’s goal against Italy at Euro 2016 stands out to him as his favourite memory.
Ireland may need a similarly miraculous moment between now and Sunday night if they are to return to the World Cup next year.
Ireland face Portugal in the Aviva Stadium on Thursday, November 13th, with kick-off at 7:45pm. The game is live on RTÉ 2 – all tickets are sold out.
Eoin Harrington reporting from Ireland camp at FAI HQ
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