IRVINE, Calif. – As the final entered its last 15 minutes, Rob Kiernan and his teammates were closing in.

Starting for Rangers FC in the 2016 Scottish Cup Final, seeking the second piece of silverware for the historic club that campaign, the center back was in the middle of the action at historic Hamden Park against Hibernian before a crowd of more than 50,000 fans.

And then, like that, it slipped away. A pair of late goals by Hibs – including what proved to be the winner in a 3-2 victory for the Edinburgh club in stoppage time – saw Kiernan and his teammates left defeated.

“Disappointment and frustration,” Kiernan said recently. “That was a big, big stage to be playing on and obviously the expectations playing for someone like Rangers is evident for everyone to see around the world, so it wasn’t a good feeling, for sure, but it’s all part of the journey, I suppose, and part of the learning.”

The defeat aside, at 25 years old Kiernan was entering the start of what should have been his prime years as a player. Having helped Rangers regain its place in the Scottish Premiership for the 2016-17 season, he had established himself firmly in the professional ranks after spells at Watford FC and Wigan Athletic had seen him regularly loaned out to – as he described it – learn his trade.

Having left home as a 16-year-old to immerse himself in the professional game at Watford, his development was progressive, earning minutes where he could at clubs such as Kilmarnock in Scotland or in England’s lower divisions, including at Wycombe Wanderers and Bradford City. The same occurred as he moved to Wigan in 2011, with the experience he gained at the center of defense shaping him into the player he would become.

While the blow of falling to Hibernian was deflating, what was to follow might have seen the career of other players come to an end. After a move to Southend – a club Kiernan had played for on loan previously in his career – before the 2017-18 season began, the start of an extended stay on the sideline began. A knee injury suffered only two games after his arrival required surgery, and that was followed by setbacks that left Kiernan unable to compete.

“I had my first knee surgery while I was at Southend,” he said. “Then we went through the rehab process, and then I had another operation again, and then the other knee had the same issue that had to get fixed.

“It was probably the darkest days of my career and life because it was my life. Every day I was giving everything I could to try and recover and heal and I wasn’t getting the results. I was in a very bad way. Looking back on that, it wasn’t an easy two years.”

One game into his new journey, however, the suspension of the Championship season arrived due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was an anxious time for most, but for Kiernan there was the added concern of what could happen should the season not resume.

“It was actually quite a scary time, because there were talks that the league potentially might cancel the season – in a sense – and would that then affect my visa in terms of my status in the country,” said Kiernan. “It was a difficult time as well because you come over here with aspirations of playing and winning and everything gets shut down, you wonder is there going to be a league and how does this affect me, how does this affect my status? It was a daunting few months, for sure.”

After the resumption of the 2020 season, Kiernan remained with Orange County this year and his qualities came to the fore. With 31 appearances across the regular season and playoffs, he ranked fourth on the team in minutes played and fifth in the league with 126 clearances in the regular season. An impressive all-around campaign saw him rank fourth among center backs in the regular season with a +6.53 Goals Added mark, while his performance proved one of the keys to Orange County claiming its first league title after 3-1 victory against the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the 2021 USL Championship Final in November.

While the disappointment that comes from suffering defeat in the biggest moments might not make the successes that follow sweeter, Kiernan’s own path back to a champions medal is one worth loudly celebrating.

“It’s a great feeling, personally, and a great achievement for the club because that’s what they’ve been trying to reach for the past six, seven years,” said Kiernan. “Also, for the people involved, the staff behind the scenes, it’s a great feeling for them. It puts us on the map a little bit, its our first title, our first championship, and as players you go out there and try to win titles in your career and this is a nice one to have. It’s been a great experience.

“You go into every final to win, and obviously I’ve been on both sides of that. It wasn’t any sweeter because of that previous loss, but this is the game in front of us, this is what’s on the line and when the whistle goes it’s a massive relief and celebration time.”

The No Limitations, Only Opportunities series aims to spotlight members of the USL community who embody perseverance and belief in their potential. USL partner Bellevue University is committed to empowering motivated students to achieve their own personal dream.