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LA Galaxy sign forward Jack McInerney

Photo by Godofredo Vasquez/USA Today Sports

Jack McInerney has finally found a team.

The LA Galaxy announced the signing of McInerney on Tuesday after the 24-year-old forward cleared waivers following his release by the Portland Timbers.

“Jack is a young and experienced player in MLS who has shown that he can score goals in this league,” said general manager Pete Vagenas. “He will give our team valuable depth at the forward position throughout the season. We look forward to Jack joining the team this week ahead of Sunday’s game.”

The Galaxy will be McInerney’s fifth team in four seasons since he was traded by the Philadelphia Union in 2014. He had stints with the Montreal Impact and Columbus Crew before landing in Portland in 2016.

McInerney scored a career-best 12 goals in 31 appearances with the Union in 2013. He has 43 goals in 167 MLS regular-season games.

Comments

    • I’m wondering the same thing. He seems like a talented guy with a ton of potential but he can’t seem to find a place to stick. He was awesome with Montreal, but he withered on the vine at Columbus behind Kai Kamara. I’m not a west coast guy so I’m not up on the Timbers situation.

      Is he a bad locker room guy? Is he too pricey for a backup?

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    • JacMac priced himself out of the MLS market. He was making north of $350k before he was traded to the Crew – I’m not sure what Portland were paying him. He got a lot of (somewhat deserved as he was putting in goals as a teenager) hype when he was with the Union and has kinda been riding that ever since.

      He can succeed but he needs a system built around his poaching strengths. He’s not going to dribble anyone, he doesn’t have much of an outside shot, he doesn’t do ‘target forward’ – but he can combine nicely, and positions himself well. He needs to be in a system that takes a lot of shots and has players who can get past their defenders to make the entry pass for him to tap in.

      He’s also not much of a locker room presence, it always takes awhile for him to get into the mix, and by that time he usually gets traded.

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    • Because he has the goal rate of a right back. Timbers have Mattocks and Asprilla as backups. Oh yeah, and a couple right backs.

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  1. This is indeed an odd move. For better or worse, Onolfo appeared committed to giving all “his” guys from his Galaxy II team (whom he coached for the last four years) every opportunity to make it as MLS starters. Indeed, Clement Diop is now the starter in goal. McBean, Nathan Smith, and David Romney all are getting significant time. Steres started all last year but he too is an Onolfo/Galaxy II product. The Villarreal brothers have hardly seen the pitch, Jamieson IV just got his first run out, but still, they’re all senior team players now, as are Lassiter, Mendiola, and Rafa Garcia.

    But…

    the Galaxy are 2-4 now with all the Los Dos players in the 18 (or at least in the 23), and this signals the winds of change. Seems as if Onolfo’s leash just got shorter.

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    • I still do not understand why they would need another forward, when all the injuries and transfers out have been in the back line which is really, really weak.

      Does someone need to tell Vegenas that Robbie Rodgers aint comin’ back this season.

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      • During the season preview i wrote that the Galaxy have a good back line if all the starters were healthy, but they have no depth there and I couldn’t understand why they let DeLa Garza and Leonardo go, even though I didn’t care much for Leonardo. They really need a couple of experienced defenders and Jack Mac doesn’t help that at all.

    • And rookie Nathan Smith basically was responsible for one of Orlando’s goals last week by being way out of position, allowing a clean run on goal. Maybe he has potential, but he looks to me like he’s not ready to be a starter.

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  2. Doesn’t it have a feel of…..

    this team is going nowhere right when the coach leaves. If you thought they had a chance last year, I guess maybe you could think that Bruce Arena is that good.

    I love Bruce, but him leaving is not the reason, this team has been on bad path for a few years now. I would be playing guys like Jamieson, get them ready for when you have a chance.

    Going after good players like Jack Mac just really isn’t the answer to winning it all, unless he is your great backup option.

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  3. Hmm.. this tells me that they don’t rate Villarreal and Jamieson much. At least with McBean you can say that he has been starting games early this season and has therefore gotten somewhat of a chance. Galaxy has so much depth now at forward but is it quality depth? These guys will get limited playing time.

    Gio and Zardes (starters)
    McInerney, McBean, Villarreal, Jamieson, Lassiter (bench)

    Reply
    • Every time I see Jamieson he looks incredible, but he barely ever sees the field.

      ( he is only 20, so he has a few more years to see the field )

      Reply

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