Photo by Cary Edmondson/USA Today Sports
By DAN KARELL
Jack McBean is spending another winter on trial at multiple clubs across the United Kingdom.
The LA Galaxy Homegrown signing is set to join Hibernian FC in Edinburgh, Scotland, on a trial period, according to a report in the Herald Scotland. The report adds that McBean is currently on trial with Charlton Athletic and that he could be signed in January as Hibernian attempts to achieve promotion back into the Scottish Premier League.
“Jack is due to come in, although he has not trained with us yet,” Hibernian manager Alan Stubbs told the Herald. “Something could change and plans could change, but at the moment he is due to have a spell here.”
The Galaxy have not yet commented on the report from Scotland.
McBean wouldn’t count as a foreigner on Hibernian’s books as his father is from Scotland and McBean has both an American and United Kingdom passport. Although he has represented the USA with the U-17s and U-20s, Scotland is aware of the 20-year-old forward.
Last winter, McBean trained with both Wolverhampton Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers before returning to California. McBean spent the 2014 season playing primarily with LA Galaxy II, scoring five goals in 28 appearances, including 16 starts. He also scored for Los Dos in U.S. Open Cup action.
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What do you think of this report? Do you see McBean moving abroad this winter? Could he break into the Galaxy lineup next year?
Share your thoughts below.
If he goes, JK will call him up before Zardes
McBean has been an anomaly for me. I’ve watched quite a few of his games. He gets in really good spots but doesn’t receive service until its too late. When he does get service on time he’s pretty lethal. Why do some players always get service and others don’t? I’ve wondered this for a while, even during my 30 years as a soccer coach. There are some players who make good runs, get into good spots but they don’t get the ball on time. Others always get the ball when they need it. Something about reading the game, communicating, confidence, demanding the ball. I’ve worked with numerous forwards who could never quite get “it” so service would come.
McBean is a player who needs quality service. From his movement you would think he would get it, but he doesn’t.
Catamount,
“ Why do some players always get service and others don’t? I’ve wondered this for a while, even during my 30 years as a soccer coach. There are some players who make good runs, get into good spots but they don’t get the ball on time. Others always get the ball when they need it. Something about reading the game, communicating, confidence, demanding the ball. I’ve worked with numerous forwards who could never quite get “it” so service would come.”
You’re talking about matching a striker to a team philosophy and, at any level, that is not always as easy as it sounds..
.
It’s the entire team not just the midfield and the striker.
Jozy fit AZ perfectly. And it seems AJ fits AZ perfectly.
And Jozy has never really fit in with Sunderland. And during his time with Sunderland, the other regular strikers, Fletcher and Wickham , while looking a bit more comfortable, have not exactly made anyone forget about Aguero or Lewandowski.
There is a reason why reliable goal scorers are so coveted.
The CONCACAF Champions League just lost its most iconic figure.
Just what we need. Another American abroad ridding the bench for a super crappy team.
This doesn’t affect *us* in any way, shape, or fashion. It is *his* career.
Moving to Hibs is a huge step down. The club is middle table in the Scottish Championship and Hearts will probably grab the automatic promotion. Hibs has a chance at the playoff since Rangers are in perpetual turmoil. Going on loan to an MLS team is a better idea.
He’s still young. Loan him instead of sell.
SPL would be a step back in terms of quality, but might work if the ultimate goal is to progress abroad, prove himself outside of people’s bias towards MLS and make another step. Absolutely cannot fault him for that.
Is there an official term for middling guys who go abroad and then swing home within a season or two? Like what just happened with Stephens to the fire? Like the ‘Medoza Line” in baseball, we need a term for this stuff in soccer.
Stephens, if his goal was to return to MLS all along, essentially parlayed a good year abroad into a better situation with Chicago than he previously had in L.A. It is not a soccer term, but it is more or less what he did.
Believe it or not, Hibs aren’t in the SPL anymore. Hibs, Hearts, and Rangers are all in the Scottish Championship. Hearts are poised to make the leap back to the top division, but Hibs and Rangers are likely going to have to wait.
Yup, second division. He will play there if he is in anyway a competent player at all. Likely make decent money too.
Not too long ago, SBI/SBI posters were hyping this kid for big things. I never saw it and still don’t. However, maybe at best he’ll have a Conor Casey career or at worst Alan Gordon?
I agree he was very highly touted early on but I’ve seen him play for the Gals and he looked a little lost. I hate to say it but he always looks a little too heavy to me.
Good move in that sense. I can’t think of a better home for a chunky striker than the Scottish second division.
I linked the video a few posts down of the McBean “injury” a few years back. If he can’t survive that collision the SPL will break him in half. Possibly literally.
Oh yes, I remember. he was 18, playing pretty well in MLS week to week for the week to week observers to see and report here, then Borchers cracked him and broke his collarbone. I don’t remember any crazy hype except that he was a target player with decent feet and good smarts who played hard and was still only 18. lots of hope
Cracked him. Well, if McBean is as fragile as an egg then you’re better served placing your hope elsewhere.
http://www.mlssoccer.com/video/2013/04/27/injury-jack-mcbean-collides-nat-borchers
Cracked him.
thanks for posting the video. Borchers is one tough hombre and he got the kid good, cracked him good. Tough lesson, that was one solid collision between two big guys. Ever had a collar bone broken?
and like I said, the kid was playing pretty well for an 18 year old, then got injured. You didn’t mention that reality in your original post when discussing his career arc so I helped you. you’re welcome
Other than wanting attention, I’m not certain what your motives are with this attempt to prove a point.
“Cracked him.”, otherwise known as McBean clumsily running into Borchers. If you believe you’ve assisted or contributed in some fashion, ignorance is quite obviously bliss…which explains the ratio of smiley faces attributed to your posts.
Appreciate your unsolicited efforts to help, but you don’t need to continue seeking my approval, Bum!
accuse me of what you are…I love it! what, no italics or bold lettering for emphasis?
and again, I’m happy to add context to your posts whenever they need them, like in explaining what happened to an 18 year old who broke his collar bone which derailed his promising season last year. again, happy to help you. your approval, believe it or not, remains unrequired
cheers
Here’s the closet Clan I can find, MacBean, lived by the famous Loch Ness. http://www.clanmacbean.net/clanhistory.html
No word on Brek Shea coming back to MLS with Orlando?
My first thought when he was rumored to be going to Orlando was “how much ?”
For me sub-DP level would be the level, right around that number, but he has to be making more than that right now ?
Ives twitter feed says he is coming back at below DP level with the team using allocation money to ‘pay down his cap figure’ whatever that means.
Newport Beach to Edinburgh? Yuck that’s like the African players over in Siberia, what a culture shock, plus he doesn’t speak the language. Tough assignment. I wonder what the McBean tartan looks like?
But they speak “English” right right?
I bet its almost worse than not being able to speak the language.
Nah I’m not sure what it is but it’s definitely not English…
Let’s get this straight. The Scots speak improved English. Very important difference.
Aye! Lol
I think Tony’s comment was about how much better MLS has gotten. And it’s true.
I would also add that the Galaxy are one of the best teams in the league (they won the playoffs after all!), and so even if the league itself has some definite weak spots, the fact that a 20 year old player has trouble cracking the Galaxy’s top team probably doesn’t seem too unusual for a European club. They probably see it as par for the course.
Now if he was at a team in the bottom of MLS and he couldn’t crack the top squad that might be viewed very differently from Europe.
I think the “best team in the league” label should always go to the Supporters Shield winner… I will be hated for saying this =/
I’ll take the bait, of course he did say ‘one of the best’. My question is; if the winner of the Supporter’s Shield is the best team in MLS, what does that make the Galaxy who beat that team to advance to MLS Cup Final?
Personally, i feel that the best overall record deserves more credit. I see the MLS Cup Final nothing more than a lucky stretch in the play-offs. However, we are in America and we do have a tradition of Cup Playoffs to determine the Champions so I do think it’s good that we keep the tradition… But it doesn’t change that personally I feel there’s more merit in winning the Supporters Shield.
Plus, it’s not as if the Galaxy weren’t in the running for the Supporter’s Shield into the last game of the season. It was pretty clear that they prioritized MLS Cup over the Supporter’s Shield.
This isn’t to minimize what Seattle did. Lots of teams all around the world find themselves in the same position. Some crash out of the Capital One Cup competition to focus on the league or let their league position drop to focus on CL games.
For sure… it’s an accomplishment to be very proud of and in this instance- recognized with the shield, not the league standard for best team/champion.
But you know- you do sign on to play with full knowledge of the rules and standard to be determined champion in advance.
Comparable to the predicament of those who believe that possession is the prime indicator of the superior team. It is an indication of skill to be certain and I suppose a consolation, but when the rules are pretty specific that the team with the most goals wins, you’d best put the ball in the net more times than the opponent if you wish to be not only self satisfied, but… the winner.
I do totally getit brother…. I’m a Galaxy fan who was in the same position a few years ago and know full well how you feel.
I look forward to the day when winning the League (Supporter’s Shield) is the top award in MLS but I doubt we will ever see that day. Until then the MLS Champions are the year’s top team and therefore should be considered the ‘Best’ team in MLS. Honestly if the Sounders had lost to say, New England and then the Galaxy beat New England, a la college playoffs. You may have an argument but in this case the Galaxy overcame the Sounder and NE so they were without question the best team in MLS this year.
Mr. Biblical
“But it doesn’t change that personally I feel there’s more merit in winning the Supporters Shield.”
In any legitimate athletic competition the rules of the completion are defined BEFORE it starts
How do you know that if the SS winner was defined as the champion before the season started that LA would not have focused on it and then won it?
You don’t know.
Set your criteria IN ADVANCE and then award the title to the team who meets them.
Anything else is sour grapes.
For certain I understand the reasoning. However, when the league dictates that the league champion will be determined by a playoff, the results for Supporters Shield can be skewed as teams change their priorities,. They’re not likely to write it off, but sometimes the prudent thing to do is de-emphasize one for the other, in turn changing line ups, substitution patterns, resting tired or injured players, in game strategy/how hard to push particular matches etc in order to attain the stated, official MLS Championship.
If the best team was decided by the Supporters Shield then I would expect the Galaxy to win it. That was not the ultimate goal so Bruce prepped his team to win the playoffs and they did. If they were prepped for the regular season, they most likely would have won that.
The ultimate goal is decided at the beginning of the season and it is up to the coaches and players to organized the season to achieve the goal. Nobody does that better than Arena.
If I have a criticism of Sigi (and I am one of those that still wish he was the Galaxy coach), it is his focus on the lesser trophies. He hasn’t won the ultimate prize as often as Arena, but he has won more lesser trophies. I think (and wish) that Sigi will figure out the most important challenge first, then let the other trophies come as they might.
Interesting how guys who can’t crack MLS line ups (at least for the top teams) look abroad for work. Villarreal did it last year when he couldn’t displace Zardes
Yes, strange how some professional athletes want to explore all options and actually play the sport they love before they miss their opportunity.
I think he was referring to the improved quality of MLS, where years ago a player who wasn’t a starter in MLS would draw zero interest from teams in Scotland or England, even if just for a trial.
Joe,
That is a little over the top.
Hibernian is not exactly a top flight European team. They were pretty good once but that was a very long time ago.