MLS's in-form Irishman Jon Gallagher has taken the road less travelled

Next Saturday, Texas state capital Austin will play host to Vera Pauw's Republic of Ireland side as they step up their respective preparations for this summer's World Cup with the first match in a double-header of friendlies.

The venue will be the Q2 Stadium, home to Major League Soccer club Austin FC, and it's a place where an Irish player has already left an indelible mark.

Austin made their MLS bow in the 2021 season as an expansion team but their first eight fixtures were all away from home as final works on the Q2 Stadium were completed.

When they finally got to play in front of their supporters that June, no goals were forthcoming in the first two home games.

But on 1 July, the floodgates opened and it was a Dundalk-born wing-back who scored Austin's historic first home goal and sparked a 4-1 win over the Portland Timbers.

Two years on, Jon Gallagher, is making a name for himself as Austin's top scorer in the MLS this season, weighing in with three goals from defence including the league's Goal of the Matchday for week three.

But it's been a long and winding road to get to this point as the 27-year-old told RTÉ Sport this week in an in-depth chat about his career to date.

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"I lived in Blackrock, just outside of Dundalk, played for my local team Blackrock and I was just a normal kid," he said of his early years.

But at the age of nine, the scenery changed drastically as his father's job with Guinness saw the family leave Louth and live in countries like Jamaica, the US, England