Louis Brain
Encyclopedia
Louis Karl Brain is an English
-Australia
n professional association football player who plays as an attacking midfielder. He played for Adelaide United
in the newly formed Hyundai A-League
's inaugural season, but was delisted in the close season. He has represented Australia at both U-17
and U-20
levels.
, Louis Brain moved to Australia
at the age of nine, and played junior football with the Modbury Jets
and Salisbury East in Adelaide
. At the age of 15, Brain joined the South Australian Sports Institute
, and played in their under-23 team in the South Australian Premier League
in 1997 and 1998. He joined National Soccer League
club Adelaide City
in time for the 1998–99 season, but commitments to the Australian U-17 side restricted his season in the top flight. When Brain eventually made his NSL debut, in round 24 against the Brisbane Strikers
, he scored the first goal in the match to help Adelaide to a 3-0 victory. He played a further five matches at the end of the season as Adelaide went on to finish sixth, but did not play any part in the finals series for Adelaide. Brain completed a short stint with Para Hills Knights
in the SAPL before returning to Adelaide City for the 1999–2000 season. In the three seasons that followed, Brain made a total of 53 appearances and scored 6 goals for Adelaide, but his match time was still being affected by international commitments.
After Adelaide finished second-last in 2001–02, Brain relocated to New South Wales
to play for Sydney United
. Brain played in all but two of United's matches in 2002–03, starting 19 times and scoring once. Sydney United missed the finals series, and Brain chose to move further north again, to the Brisbane Strikers
for 2003–04. He played in 23 of Brisbane's 24 regular season matches, and then played a big hand in both legs of their elimination final against Adelaide United
. After losing 3-0 in the away leg, Brain set up one goal for Joshua Rose
and then scored one himself with a brilliant individual effort to make the score 3-1 in favour of Brisbane. The match finished with Brisbane winning 4-1, but Adelaide progressed via the away goals rule
.
In February 2005, Brain elected to move back to his home city, and was signed by A-League
club Adelaide United as the 15th man on their 20-man roster for the inaugural season. Brain played in the first ever A-League match, against the Newcastle United Jets
, and won the dubious honour of being the first player to receive a caution in the newly-formed competition, just 3 minutes in. Just two weeks later, though, he earned another A-League record – the fastest goal scored. In Adelaide's round 3 clash against Melbourne Victory, Brain scored after just 11 seconds, a goal which turned out to be the only difference between the sides. Brain made a total of 17 league appearances for Adelaide, mainly from the bench, and scored 3 goals, but his contract was not renewed by the club at the end of the 2005–06 season
. Brain went on loan with Adelaide Raiders
until his contract with United expired, and then signed for the Modbury Jets
. However, he had already played in an FFSA
AUFC cup tie for the Raiders, and his subsequent appearance in Modbury's 5-1 win over Adelaide Olympic
saw the Jets ejected from the competition.
Recent efforts to secure Brain a move to Victorian Premier League club Whittlesea Zebras were scuppered by Fawkner Blues who objected to the circumstances surrounding his registration in an unsavoury case of sour grapes between the two Italian clubs. Neither club now holds the registration for the player, so one is left to ponder who benefited from the episode. In particular, Fawkner have been made to look less than professional with their 'if we can't have him no-one can' approach.
Louis Brain has signed for Dandenong Thunder in the 2007 season; he made his debut against Casey and will prove to be a wonderful addition to the squad. Signing for one of the biggest clubs in Victoria, Brain will be an instant hit with the fans as they average around 1500 people per game. Which is more than most premier league clubs who struggle to get 500 people.
Brain scored a double against Brunswick to get his goal tally off the mark in Thunders 3-0 win over Brunswick. He was close to a hat-trick only for is shot being fired straight at the keeper. Following the midweek win against Brunswick, Brain followed up on Saturday with another goal as Dandenong Thunder trounced Westgate 6-2. Brain turned the Westgate defender and his shot went past the keeper with a thunderous strike into the top left corner. Louis Brain scored his 4th goal of the season in the 5th minute of play when he coolly slotted home the opener against Port Melbourne in which Dandenong Thunder won 2-1 thanks to a late spectacular goal from striker Veton Korcari who hit a sweetly timed volley into the top corner. Brain scored his 5th goal for the Thunder in their 4-1 trouncing of North Geelong with condemned them to relegation. Brain scored the 3rd goal of the night to put the home side 3 nil up as he chipped the Geelong keeper from an acute angle. Other goalscorers on the night included leading goal scorer Veton Korcari, Nick Papadopoulous and Englishman Jamie Heard. Brain scored the equaliser against Port Melbourne at home. He also scored on the final day of the season as Thunder defeated Casey Comets 2-1.
In his return to the club in 2008, after a mid season transfer, Brain set up Joe Di Iorio to put the Thunder 2 nil up away to St.Albans, as well as creating a number of chances in the sides 2-1 win. Brain scored his first goal for the 2008 season in the clubs 3-1 win over Kingston City in which he opened the scoring with a cool finish past Kingston keeper Mladen Tosic.
, held at Hindmarsh Stadium
in Adelaide. He became a regular in the Joeys squad throughout 1999, especially during qualifying for the 1999 U-17 World Cup
, to be held in New Zealand
. Brain scored twice during the Oceania
qualifying stages, and also the decisive goal in Australia's 1-0 away leg win over Bahrain
, which confirmed their place in the tournament. Brain toured with the Joeys to South America
in the lead-up to the World Cup, and was selected in the 18-man Australian squad to contest the tournament. Brain played in all six of Australia's matches at the World Cup, as the team advanced to the tournament final to meet Brazil
. Brain picked up a yellow card in the final minute of extra time as Australia went down 8-7 in a penalty shootout
after the match finished at 0-0.
Brain made his debut for the Young Socceroos (under-20) in 2001, playing 30 minutes against Japan during the East Asian Games
. In the following match, a 6-0 win over Guam
, Brain made his first start for the Young Socceroos, celebrating by scoring his first U-20 international goal in the 12th minute, following by a second in the 48th. Australia reached the final of the competition, but fell to Japan 2-1. Mid-year, Brain was selected in the 18-man squad for the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship
in Argentina
. He played just once in the tournament, the first half of Australia's 1-1 draw with Angola
which put the team through to the second round.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
-Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n professional association football player who plays as an attacking midfielder. He played for Adelaide United
Adelaide United FC
Adelaide United Football Club is a professional football club based in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. It currently participates in the A-League as the sole team from the state of South Australia. Adelaide is one of the most successful clubs in the A-League. The club's home ground is...
in the newly formed Hyundai A-League
A-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
's inaugural season, but was delisted in the close season. He has represented Australia at both U-17
Australia national under-17 football team
The Australia national under-17 association football team, more commonly known as the Joeys, is controlled by Football Federation Australia and represents Australia in international Under 17 or youth football competitions.-FIFA U-17 World Cup:...
and U-20
Australia national under-20 football team
The Australia national under-20 association football team, more commonly known as the Young Socceroos, is controlled by Football Federation Australia and represents Australia in international Under 20 or youth football competitions....
levels.
Career
Born in EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Louis Brain moved to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
at the age of nine, and played junior football with the Modbury Jets
Modbury Jets
The Modbury Jets are a football club in Adelaide, South Australia, they field both Senior and Junior teams. Seniors play home matches at Jet Park in Modbury, north of Adelaide and the Juniors play at Burragah Reserve, Modbury.-History:...
and Salisbury East in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
. At the age of 15, Brain joined the South Australian Sports Institute
South Australian Sports Institute
The South Australian Sports Institute is a specialised educational and training institution providing coaching for elite junior and senior athletes in a number of sports....
, and played in their under-23 team in the South Australian Premier League
South Australian Premier League
The South Australian Premier League is now the second-highest state-level football competition in South Australia. It is conducted by the Football Federation of South Australia , the state's governing body. Prior to the 2006 season, this was the highest level competition in South Australia...
in 1997 and 1998. He joined National Soccer League
National Soccer League
The National Soccer League is the former national association football competition in Australasia, overseen by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977, until its demise in 2004...
club Adelaide City
Adelaide City
Adelaide City is a football club in Adelaide, South Australia. They are also known as The Zebras. They played in the National Soccer League for 27 Seasons but withdrew just prior to the 2003/2004 season. They now play in the South Australian Super League. City won the inaugural Super League...
in time for the 1998–99 season, but commitments to the Australian U-17 side restricted his season in the top flight. When Brain eventually made his NSL debut, in round 24 against the Brisbane Strikers
Brisbane Strikers
The Brisbane Strikers are an Australian football club from Brisbane, Queensland, Australia who play in the Queensland State League.-National Soccer League:...
, he scored the first goal in the match to help Adelaide to a 3-0 victory. He played a further five matches at the end of the season as Adelaide went on to finish sixth, but did not play any part in the finals series for Adelaide. Brain completed a short stint with Para Hills Knights
Para Hills Knights
Para Hills Knights Soccer Club are a football club from Para Hills, South Australia. The club plays in the South Australian Super League and have their home ground at The Paddocks in Para Hills, north of Adelaide...
in the SAPL before returning to Adelaide City for the 1999–2000 season. In the three seasons that followed, Brain made a total of 53 appearances and scored 6 goals for Adelaide, but his match time was still being affected by international commitments.
After Adelaide finished second-last in 2001–02, Brain relocated to New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
to play for Sydney United
Sydney United
Sydney United Football Club are an Australian football club from Sydney, Australia, established in 1957 by Croatian Australians in the area...
. Brain played in all but two of United's matches in 2002–03, starting 19 times and scoring once. Sydney United missed the finals series, and Brain chose to move further north again, to the Brisbane Strikers
Brisbane Strikers
The Brisbane Strikers are an Australian football club from Brisbane, Queensland, Australia who play in the Queensland State League.-National Soccer League:...
for 2003–04. He played in 23 of Brisbane's 24 regular season matches, and then played a big hand in both legs of their elimination final against Adelaide United
Adelaide United FC
Adelaide United Football Club is a professional football club based in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. It currently participates in the A-League as the sole team from the state of South Australia. Adelaide is one of the most successful clubs in the A-League. The club's home ground is...
. After losing 3-0 in the away leg, Brain set up one goal for Joshua Rose
Joshua Rose
Joshua Rose is an Australian football player who currently plays for the Central Coast Mariners.-Club career:...
and then scored one himself with a brilliant individual effort to make the score 3-1 in favour of Brisbane. The match finished with Brisbane winning 4-1, but Adelaide progressed via the away goals rule
Away goals rule
The away goals rule is a method of breaking ties in association football and other sports when teams play each other twice, once at each team's home ground. By the away goals rule, the team that has scored more goals "away from home" will win if scores are otherwise equal...
.
In February 2005, Brain elected to move back to his home city, and was signed by A-League
A-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
club Adelaide United as the 15th man on their 20-man roster for the inaugural season. Brain played in the first ever A-League match, against the Newcastle United Jets
Newcastle United Jets
Newcastle United Jets Football Club is a professional football club based in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. The club competes in the A-League and plays its home games at Ausgrid Stadium . The Jets have won one A-League championship, defeating arch rivals the 1–0 in the 2007–08 Grand Final...
, and won the dubious honour of being the first player to receive a caution in the newly-formed competition, just 3 minutes in. Just two weeks later, though, he earned another A-League record – the fastest goal scored. In Adelaide's round 3 clash against Melbourne Victory, Brain scored after just 11 seconds, a goal which turned out to be the only difference between the sides. Brain made a total of 17 league appearances for Adelaide, mainly from the bench, and scored 3 goals, but his contract was not renewed by the club at the end of the 2005–06 season
A-League 2005-06
The 2005-06 season was the first season of the A-League, a domestic club competition for football in Australia. After over 12 months without a national professional club competition, the first match in the A-League was played on 26 August 2005...
. Brain went on loan with Adelaide Raiders
Adelaide Raiders
Raiders is a football club in Adelaide, South Australia, that plays in the South Australian Super League. Its home ground is the Croatian Sports Centre in Gepps Cross, a northern suburb of Adelaide. It is a Croatian Australian-backed club and is also known by the name "Adelaide Croatia"...
until his contract with United expired, and then signed for the Modbury Jets
Modbury Jets
The Modbury Jets are a football club in Adelaide, South Australia, they field both Senior and Junior teams. Seniors play home matches at Jet Park in Modbury, north of Adelaide and the Juniors play at Burragah Reserve, Modbury.-History:...
. However, he had already played in an FFSA
Football Federation of South Australia
The Football Federation of South Australia is the governing body of association football in South Australia. The FFSA are affiliated to the Football Federation Australia...
AUFC cup tie for the Raiders, and his subsequent appearance in Modbury's 5-1 win over Adelaide Olympic
Adelaide Olympic
Adelaide Olympic F.C. is a football club from Adelaide, South Australia.- Adelaide Olympic Facts :Name Changes:*In 1989 the club changed its name to Olympians....
saw the Jets ejected from the competition.
Recent efforts to secure Brain a move to Victorian Premier League club Whittlesea Zebras were scuppered by Fawkner Blues who objected to the circumstances surrounding his registration in an unsavoury case of sour grapes between the two Italian clubs. Neither club now holds the registration for the player, so one is left to ponder who benefited from the episode. In particular, Fawkner have been made to look less than professional with their 'if we can't have him no-one can' approach.
Louis Brain has signed for Dandenong Thunder in the 2007 season; he made his debut against Casey and will prove to be a wonderful addition to the squad. Signing for one of the biggest clubs in Victoria, Brain will be an instant hit with the fans as they average around 1500 people per game. Which is more than most premier league clubs who struggle to get 500 people.
Brain scored a double against Brunswick to get his goal tally off the mark in Thunders 3-0 win over Brunswick. He was close to a hat-trick only for is shot being fired straight at the keeper. Following the midweek win against Brunswick, Brain followed up on Saturday with another goal as Dandenong Thunder trounced Westgate 6-2. Brain turned the Westgate defender and his shot went past the keeper with a thunderous strike into the top left corner. Louis Brain scored his 4th goal of the season in the 5th minute of play when he coolly slotted home the opener against Port Melbourne in which Dandenong Thunder won 2-1 thanks to a late spectacular goal from striker Veton Korcari who hit a sweetly timed volley into the top corner. Brain scored his 5th goal for the Thunder in their 4-1 trouncing of North Geelong with condemned them to relegation. Brain scored the 3rd goal of the night to put the home side 3 nil up as he chipped the Geelong keeper from an acute angle. Other goalscorers on the night included leading goal scorer Veton Korcari, Nick Papadopoulous and Englishman Jamie Heard. Brain scored the equaliser against Port Melbourne at home. He also scored on the final day of the season as Thunder defeated Casey Comets 2-1.
In his return to the club in 2008, after a mid season transfer, Brain set up Joe Di Iorio to put the Thunder 2 nil up away to St.Albans, as well as creating a number of chances in the sides 2-1 win. Brain scored his first goal for the 2008 season in the clubs 3-1 win over Kingston City in which he opened the scoring with a cool finish past Kingston keeper Mladen Tosic.
International career
Louis Brain began his international representative career with the Australian under-17 team, the Joeys, in 1998. He scored two goals in a 4-0 victory over JapanJapan national football team
The Japan national football team represents Japan in association football and is operated by the Japan Football Association, the governing body for association football in Japan...
, held at Hindmarsh Stadium
Hindmarsh Stadium
Hindmarsh Stadium is a rectangular stadium located in Adelaide, South Australia. It is the home of the Australian A-League team, Adelaide United....
in Adelaide. He became a regular in the Joeys squad throughout 1999, especially during qualifying for the 1999 U-17 World Cup
1999 FIFA U-17 World Championship
The FIFA U-17 World Championship 1999 was held in the cities of Auckland, Christchurch, Napier, and Dunedin in New Zealand between 10 November and 27 November 1999...
, to be held in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. Brain scored twice during the Oceania
Oceania Football Confederation
The Oceania Football Confederation is one of the six continental confederations of international association football, consisting of Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and island nations such as Tonga, Fiji and other Pacific Island countries...
qualifying stages, and also the decisive goal in Australia's 1-0 away leg win over Bahrain
Bahrain national football team
The Bahrain national football team is the national team of the Kingdom of Bahrain and is controlled by the Bahrain Football Association; it was founded in 1951 and joined FIFA in 1966. They have never reached the finals of the World Cup, but have twice come within one match of doing so...
, which confirmed their place in the tournament. Brain toured with the Joeys to South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
in the lead-up to the World Cup, and was selected in the 18-man Australian squad to contest the tournament. Brain played in all six of Australia's matches at the World Cup, as the team advanced to the tournament final to meet Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
. Brain picked up a yellow card in the final minute of extra time as Australia went down 8-7 in a penalty shootout
Penalty shootout (football)
A penalty shoot-out, referred to as kicks from the penalty mark in the Laws of the Game, is the FIFA official term for a method used in association football to decide which team progresses to the next stage of a tournament following a tied game...
after the match finished at 0-0.
Brain made his debut for the Young Socceroos (under-20) in 2001, playing 30 minutes against Japan during the East Asian Games
East Asian Games
The East Asian Games is a multi-sport event organised by the East Asian Games Association and held every four years since 1993 among athletes from East Asian countries and territories of the Olympic Council of Asia , as well as the Pacific island of Guam, which is a member of the Oceania National...
. In the following match, a 6-0 win over Guam
Guam national football team
The Guam national football team is the national team of Guam, an overseas territory of the United States in the Pacific Ocean, and is controlled by the Guam Football Association. They are affiliated to the Asian Football Confederation's East Asian Football Federation region.The team was founded in...
, Brain made his first start for the Young Socceroos, celebrating by scoring his first U-20 international goal in the 12th minute, following by a second in the 48th. Australia reached the final of the competition, but fell to Japan 2-1. Mid-year, Brain was selected in the 18-man squad for the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship
2001 FIFA World Youth Championship
The 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship took place in Argentina between June 17 and July 8, 2001. The 2001 championship was the 13th contested. The tournament took part in six cities, Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Mendoza, Rosario, Salta, and Mar del Plata...
in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. He played just once in the tournament, the first half of Australia's 1-1 draw with Angola
Angola national football team
The Angola national football team, nicknamed Palancas Negras , is the national team of Angola and is controlled by the Federação Angolana de Futebol. Angola reached 45th in the FIFA Rankings in July 2002...
which put the team through to the second round.