Philadelphia’s young striker nearly made a mess of his first-half breakaway against D.C. United. His first touch was a little casual, perhaps lacking some of that killer instinct that has distinguished his still-maturing game.
But young “Jack Mac” recovered and then some.
His quality finish around D.C. United goalkeeper Bill Hamid for an early road lead was perfect, smacked with all the authority that was lacking in that initial touch, one that came after taking Conor Casey’s early ball out of midfield.
After much tinkering, it appears that Philadelphia Union manager John Hackworth has found his best strike combo. Casey had his best match since 2010 in the 3-2 win over United. And yet it’s McInerney that we’re talking about.
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Just 20 years old, he is now leads Major League Soccer in scoring. Two strikes in Sunday’s victory at RFK Stadium saw the Tennessee native leapfrog Mike Magee atop the MLS chart.
His second goal Sunday was McInerney’s third game-winning goal, to go with one late and very important equalizer.