Patrick McLain

  • Years with Minnesota United: 2017
  • Position: Goalkeeper
  • Nationality: American
  • Acquisition: Acquired via trade from Orlando City SC on January 26, 2017, in exchange for Allocation Money (as part of a deal that also brought Kevin Molino to Minnesota).

Patrick McLain is a goalkeeper who joined Minnesota United FC during its inaugural Major League Soccer (MLS) season. Though he did not make an MLS regular season appearance for the club, he contributed with his veteran experience, largely accumulated in the USL Championship.

Key stats with Minnesota United:

  • MLS regular season appearances (First Team): 0
  • U.S. Open Cup appearances (First Team): 1 (90 minutes)
  • Total club appearances (all competitions): 1
  • Departure: McLain was selected by Orlando City SC in the 2016 MLS Re-Entry Draft and was subsequently traded to Minnesota. He was later released by Chicago Fire after the 2018 season, where he played after his time with Minnesota.

Memorable moments and honors (Overall Career):

  • Local Ties: Native of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, making his move to Minnesota United a “sort of homecoming.”
  • Collegiate Career: Played college soccer at Cal Poly Mustangs, where he earned All-Big West second-team recognition and set a school record with a $0.835$ save percentage.
  • USL Success: Firmly established himself as one of the standout keepers in the USL Championship (now USL Championship) during his time with Sacramento Republic FC (2015), where he became the first goalkeeper in club history to play over 2,000 minutes in a single season.
  • MLS Experience: Played a total of 8 MLS matches across his career with Chivas USA (2012–2013), Chicago Fire (2016, 2018), and no MLS appearances for Minnesota United (2017).

Where is he now?:

  • Patrick McLain retired from professional soccer, with his last active club being Orange County SC in the USL Championship in 2019.
  • He is recently retired (since 2019, according to some sources, or June 2021, according to others) after an 8-year professional playing career.
  • Since retiring, he has been involved in goalkeeping development, noted for developing “multiple cutting edge approaches to goalkeeping.”