Aaron Molloy (born 11 January 1997) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for the Lexington SC in the USL Championship.
Youth and college Molloy played for the Bohemians academy for the 2014–15 season, as well as a short season in 2015 where he served as captain. He received the Bohemians U19 player of the year award for the 2014–15 season.
College After a season with Drogheda United in Ireland, Molloy decided to move to the United States to play college soccer. He played and started in 15 matches as a freshman at Keiser University, recording his first appearance against Texas Wesleyan on 9 September 2016 and scoring his first goal at St. Thomas on 19 October. Molloy earned Sun Conference Freshman of the Year and second-team All-Conference honors.
In his first season at Penn State, Molloy appeared in 16 matches. He made his Nittany Lions debut against Hofstra on 25 August 2017 and scored his first goal at UC Irvine on 1 September. In his junior season, Molloy was a team captain and appeared in 15 matches. He earned Big Ten preseason honors, All-Big Ten second team and United Soccer Coaches All-North Region third-team. In his senior season, Molloy was again a team captain and appeared in 19 matches.
Club career The first senior appearance for Molloy was for Irish club Drogheda United, where in 2016 he played in 13 matches and scored two goals. After the season, Molloy paused his professional career and went to the United States to play college soccer for Keiser University and Penn State University. Molloy began playing with the Philadelphia Union's Premier Development League affiliate Reading United AC in 2016, appearing with the club for three seasons. He was named the PDL Young Player of the Year in 2017.
Molloy was invited to the 2020 MLS Combine, and was subsequently drafted by Portland Timbers with the 16th pick of the 2020 MLS SuperDraft. Molloy signed with Portland Timbers 2 in the USL Championship, the club that serves as a reserve squad for the Portland Timbers. Molloy made his Timbers debut on 18 July 2020, starting in a 3–0 loss to Tacoma Defiance.
On February 17, 2021, Molloy signed with USL League One club Forward Madison FC.
On January 11, 2022, Molloy moved to USL Championship side Memphis 901. He left Memphis following the 2023 season.
Molloy signed a multi-year contract with the Charleston Battery in December 2023.
Career statistics
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Other Total Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Drogheda United 2016 League of Ireland Premier Division 13 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 13 2 Reading United 2016 PDL 2 1 0 0 — 1 1` 3 2 2017 11 7 2 0 — 1 1 14 8 2018 13 4 2 0 — 4 1 19 5 Total 26 12 4 0 0 0 6 3 36 15 Portland Timbers 2 2020 USL Championship 15 1 — — 0 0 15 1 Forward Madison 2021 USL League One 27 4 — — — 27 4 Memphis 901 2022 USL Championship 33 8 1 0 — 2 0 36 8 2023 33 2 3 0 — 1 0 37 2 Total 66 10 4 0 0 0 3 0 73 10 Charleston Battery 2024 USL Championship 27 2 2 0 — 1 0 30 2 Charleston Battery 2025 USL Championship 30 2 2 0 3 0 1 0 33 2 Lexington SC 2026 USL Championship 1 1 — — — 1 1 Career total 205 34 10 0 0 0 10 2 228 37
Personal life Molloy is the son of Trevor Molloy, a fellow Irish footballer who played for teams in Ireland. Molloy studied for a Bachelor of Science degree in recreation, park, and tourism management from the College of Health and Human Development at Penn State.
Awards PDL Young Player of the Year Big Ten Midfielder of the Year All-Big Ten first team All-Big Ten second team TopDrawerSoccer 2019 Best XI First Team United Soccer Coaches All-North Region First Team United Soccer Coaches All-America Second Team. United Soccer Coaches All-North Region third-team member Sun Conference Freshman of the Year All-Sun Conference second team 3x USL Championship All-League First Team: 2022, 2023, 2024
References
External links Portland profile