Countess attended University of California, Los Angeles, where he had a 1.02 goals against average, good for a second in the Pacific-10 Conference his freshman season.
However, shortly after an impressive debut match, he suffered a shoulder injury and was forced to miss the remainder of the season.
He bounced back in 2003, starting in twenty-four league matches and was named the clubs Defender of the Year after tallying 115 saves.
All three teams expressed interest but it was Östers IF who then played in Sweden's top division the Allsvenskan that signed Countess to a contract until the end of the 2006 season.
While playing for Real Salt Lake he established the Dream Keeper Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing funding for Utah children in need of medical care.