PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Timbers have acquired forward Jack McInerney from Columbus Crew SC in exchange for targeted allocation money and general allocation money, it was announced today. Per league and club policy, terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
“At a young age, Jack has proven goal-scoring ability in MLS and CONCACAF Champions League and we are excited to add him to a strong group of attacking talent,” said Gavin Wilkinson, general manager of the Timbers.
McInerney, 23, has made 143 career appearances (87 starts) in his six-year MLS career after originally being drafted by the Philadelphia Union with the seventh overall pick in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft. The Chattanooga, Tenn., native scored a career-best 12 goals during a breakout season for Philadelphia in 2013, garnering MLS All-Star recognition and earning a spot on the United States Men’s National Team roster for the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
“Jack is a rare pickup because of his reputation as a young striker who has scored goals in MLS,” said Caleb Porter, head coach of the Timbers. “We're extremely excited to have him join our club and look forward to his contributions. No doubt he will play a major role in various competitions in 2016.”
In April 2014, McInerney joined the Montreal Impact following a trade and aided the team's run to the 2014-15 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League Final, scoring three goals in five appearances (2 starts), including a goal in the second leg of the final against Mexico’s Club America. During the regular season, McInerney tallied seven goals and one assist in 26 appearances (21 starts) for the Impact. After scoring four goals in 17 games for Montreal in 2015, the forward joined Columbus in a late-season trade. He registered two goals in five games to help Columbus reach the postseason, also logging time in two MLS Cup Playoffs matches as Crew SC reached the final.
Among active MLS players, McInerney is currently the youngest player with 38 or more career MLS goals and ranks 24th overall on the career goal-scoring list among active players. Additionally, only one player in MLS history (Stern John, 44) scored more career goals ahead of his 23rd birthday.
On the international stage, McInerney previously earned caps for the U.S. Under-23, U-20 and U-17 sides.
Jack McInerney
Position: Forward
Pronunciation: MAC-in-er-knee
Height: 5-11
Weight: 150
Born: Aug. 5, 1992, in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Last Club: Columbus Crew SC
College: n/a
Citizenship: United States
Acquired: Acquired Jan. 13, 2016 from Columbus Crew SC in exchange for targeted allocation money and general allocation money
