United States Soccer Phenom Uses Contentious Celebration To Ignite Beef With Former Club After Blindside Trade

Houston Dynamo midfielder Jack McGlynn got the last laugh during his first MLS match against his former team, the Philadelphia Union. The 22-year-old United States National Team player scored the game-tying goal on the club that developed him after his former teammates mocked his celebration.

Major League Soccer beef is alive and well!

McGlynn made the most of his first opportunity for revenge. Some MLS fans are outraged by his behavior.

Who is Jack McGlynn?

Born in Middle Village, New York, McGlynn started his pro soccer career with a prominent youth academy in NYC. He later joined the youth academy at the Philadelphia Union in 2019 at the age of 16.

The Union was responsible for his development. McGlynn worked his way up through the academy to eventually sign a contract with the MLS club for the 2021 season.

Not only did the homegrown player score seven goals in 99 appearances for the Union from 2021 to 2024, he scored a clutch penalty as rookie to lift Philadelphia to its first-ever MLS Cup Final. The MLS also named him to the ’22 Under 22′ list three years in a row.

Needless to say, there was (and is) a lot of promise for Jack McGlynn. He also made the USMNT roster for Mauricio Pochettino’s Gold Cup squad earlier this year.

The above goal during a friendly likely earned him the spot.

The Philadelphia Union traded him to the Houston Dynamo.

In a shocking move, the Union traded McGlynn to the Dynamo in the second-ever use of the MLS’s new ‘cash-for player’ system. His price tag was set at $2.1 million.

The move completely caught him — and everybody — off-guard.

McGlynn “had no inking a deal might be going down until he was abruptly informed of its completition.” He was scheduled to join the Union for the second phase of the preseason… until he wasn’t.

“I found out and had to leave right away,” McGlynn told MLSsoccer.com. “So yeah, it’s been a crazy week. The way it all went down was kind of sudden and not the most informed, I think … Leaving came as a shock, the way it all went down.”

Needless to say, it was a messy ordeal.

He kissed the badge!

For a soccer player to “kiss the badge” on his or her jersey signifies a display of love, loyalty and respect for the club he or she represents. It is a common for players to touch or kiss the club crest as a goal celebration.

However, players who kiss their badge have likely been with their respective teams for an extended period of time. That was not the case with McGlynn during his most recent match.

The drama started early when Philadelphia scored a goal in the 16th minute. The Union celebrated the goal with their former teammate’s signature celebration.