Career
Born in Scotland, McLean immigrated to the United States when he was nineteen. He settled in where he joined Pullman F.C. which had dominated the Leagues and Peel Cup. At some point, he moved to the Canadians and finally to Bricklayers and Masons F.C.
In 1928, the Bricklayers lost the National Challenge Cup to the New York Nationals.
McLean and the Bricklayers lost a second Challenge Cup in 1931 when Fall River Marksmen took them two games to one in the championship series. In 1932, McLean moved to where he signed with Stix, Baer and Fuller F.C. of the Soccer League.
The team went to the 1932 Challenge Cup final, but lost to the New Bedford Whalers. Following their 1934 Challenge Cup victory, the team came under the sponsorship of Central Breweries.
Central Breweries F.C. continued the success they had experienced under the old name by winning a third Challenge Cup and league title in 1935, giving McLean three “doubles” in three years.
The team went through another name change in 1935, this time to Shamrocks. In 1936, McLean collapsed during a league game. In 1937, after spending nine months in a sanitarium, he moved back to
He was not selected.
McLean gained his first cap when the United States. defeated Mexico, 4-2, in a World Cup qualifier.
The United States. then lost to Italy in the first round of the World Cup. While recovering from his 1936 collapse, McLean was called up to the national team for a three-game series with Mexico in 1937, but did not play.
After returning to in 1937, McLean seemed to have kept a low profile. In the summer of 1938, he disappeared, never to be seen again.
His family continued to receive infrequent Mother’s day cards from various towns along the Mississippi River for several years after his disappearance.
Finally, in November 1944 Aetna Life Insurance placed an advertisement in the Midwest Soccer News asking for information regarding his whereabouts. Despite these efforts, he was never seen again.