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Great Valley grad McLaughlin making a name for himself in Cincinnati

Jimmy McLaughlin was young. The club he was signing with, even younger. With the midfielder’s talent and a team still finding its path, there would be chances for him to shine, to grow, to become a cornerstone.

Twice in his young career, this is the script that McLaughlin was pitched. The first time devolved into tragicomedy in Philadelphia, one which yielded McLaughlin only bit parts over parts of four seasons for a Union franchise bungling its way toward pseudo-relevance.

But at 22, when McLaughlin faced a soccer crossroads, he managed to find another situation that fit this same bill, for USL expansion side FC Cincinnati, formed with the explicit aspiration of ascending to MLS.

One hundred appearances later, the irony is not lost on McLaughlin. Once envisioned as a Homegrown mainstay for the Union, the Great Valley High graduate is exactly that for Cincinnati, which enters the final game of the USL regular season this weekend on a league-record 22-match unbeaten streak and will begin MLS play in 2019.

The Queen City’s soccer-mad environment has not only saved McLaughlin’s career, but he in turn has fed a growing market that will enter MLS next year and instantly rank at least in the middle of the pack in terms of ambition and fan devotion.

“It’s exceeded all my expectations, to be honest,” McLaughlin told Digital First Media this week. “When I moved out here, I didn’t have the greatest experiences with my time in Philadelphia and kind of gave it one more effort, and I came out here and it’s kind of taken off. It’s been amazing for my soccer career and it’s been amazing for my life.”

“It’s exceeded all my expectations, to be honest.” — Great Valley graduate Jimmy McLaughlin on his time with FC Cincinnati

McLaughlin’s experience in Cincinnati is so far removed from the downer in Philadelphia that it’s hard to fathom. Much of that is attributable to the midfielder’s growth. But it’s also an indictment of the chaos that existed in the Union’s developmental apparatus before Earnie Stewart took over in late 2015.

McLaughlin was signed in Dec. 2011 at age 18, after one semester at Colgate University. Along with Dresher native Zach Pfeffer, signed three months earlier as a 15-year-old, they were envisioned as the future of the club, a Homegrown midfield axis for a decade or more.

The only problem was that the Union lacked even the slightest organizational inkling of how to do that. McLaughlin played in the finale of a disastrous 2012 campaign, his longest appearance at 17 minutes. He logged precisely one MLS minute in 2014 and one in 2015. He produced regularly in 50 matches on loan to Harrisburg City over four seasons. But there was no continuity. He played for three coaches with the Union and even found minutes scarce in Harrisburg, an affiliate under no obligation to play loanees or reinforce skills that would improve first-team prospects.

So to say that McLaughlin failed in Philadelphia is an incomplete statement, and the non-entity of his tenure was a source of annoyance.

“Definitely it’s frustrating not getting opportunities and not even really feeling like you had a chance to even fail,” McLaughlin said. “It’s one thing if you get chances and you don’t take it, then it is what it is. You had your shot, you left it all out there, and I have no problem with failing. It definitely is a bit frustrating in the sense that I didn’t get many opportunities.”

McLaughlin understood there were things he could improve, in terms of his off-field preparation and general maturity. A change of scenery, away from the hometown safety net, might require that. So when Cincinnati reached out, it was another shot. In retrospect, it may have been a last shot.

“I didn’t really have any sort of set date or anything,” he said. “But I definitely think that it was a possibility if I didn’t have the situation like I did in Cincinnati, it wouldn’t be crazy to think that I would’ve moved on in life. … Luckily I walked into an incredible situation. I really do think without Cincinnati and without having the support I have here, I don’t know what would’ve happened to me. There is a chance I would be coaching or working another job or doing something along those lines. I think Cincinnati really revitalized my career.”

McLaughlin, 25, is one of three holdovers from the inaugural roster, with fellow Union refugee Corben Bone and Kenney Walker. He’s the first to 100 matches, including 92 in USL with 11 goals and nine assists. He’s grown into a more confident player and young adult, an element he admits was missing (and that he wasn’t allowed to cultivate) in Philly.

Along the way, the Orange and Blue have grown, too. They’ve set a slew of attendance records (for USL, for soccer in Ohio, for U.S. Open Cup rounds). They were showcased on national television in last year’s Open Cup semifinal before more than 30,000 fans. In May, Cincinnati was granted an expansion bid for MLS in 2019 with a soccer-specific stadium to be built by 2021.

“When you start with a club that’s brand new, it gives you a unique opportunity to be part of history,” he said. “And that’s what I’m trying to do every single day when I’m here, and it’s been a really fun ride so far.”

McLaughlin hit the century-mark in style Sept. 29, notching two assists as Cincy set the USL regularseason record for singlegame attendance. He also started last week’s match with Pittsburgh, making 101 appearances in the team’s 108 competitive matches. He isn’t guaranteed a MLS future; he said that will be decided for the entire roster at season’s end. To return to the top level with a club that means so much to him would be even more profound, and he’s stated a convincing case.

“That would mean the absolute world to me,” he said. “Ever since I was released from Philly, my objective was to get back to MLS. The USL is a great league and it’s gotten so much better, but I think the goal of every single player in USL is to play in MLS. That’s what I’ve been working toward the last few seasons, and I think I’ve been put in a situation where I can go up with the club that I’ve grown with, so it’s even extra special for me to go up with Cincinnati.”

“When you start with a club that’s brand new, it gives you a unique opportunity to be part of history. And that’s what I’m trying to do every single day when I’m here, and it’s been a really fun ride so far.” — FC Cincinnati midfielder and Great Valley High School graduate Jimmy McLaughlin

JOHN MINCHILLO — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Great Valley graduate Jimmy McLaughlin, celebrating FC Cincinnati’s penalty shootout win over Chicago in June 2017, has established himself in Ohio, the first Cincy player to make 100 appearances for the club that will join MLS in 2019. Below, McLaughlin heads a ball against Columbus during a U.S. Open Cup match.

JOHN MINCHILLO — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FC Cincinnati midfielder Jimmy McLaughlin, left, vies for a ball with New York Red Bulls midfielder Tyler Adams in the second half of a U.S. Open Cup soccer semifinal.