BIOGRAPHY
Thomas McNamara was born February 6, 1991, in West Nyack, New York. He is a midfielder in Major League Soccer.
He was drafted first in the second round of the 2014 MLS SuperDraft by Chivas USA, and was officially signed on February 14, 2014. He made his professional debut for the team on March 9, 2014 against the Chicago Fire in which he also scored his first professional goal in the 60th minute on the way to a 3–2 opening day victory. On April 12, McNamara tore the ACL in his right knee, requiring him to undergo surgery to repair his ACL.
After the contraction of Chivas USA following the 2014 Major League Soccer season, McNamara was selected by D.C. United in the 2014 MLS Dispersal Draft. Leading up to the 2015 Expansion of Major League Soccer Draft, McNamara was left unprotected by D.C. United. New York City FC selected him with their eighth pick in the 2014 MLS Expansion Draft.
McNamara scored his first goal for New York City FC on June 6, 2015 against the Philadelphia Union. The goal, scored from about 25 yards out, was awarded MLS goal of the week honors. This right-footed curling shot into the top corner has become a signature of McNamara's, as he has scored near identical goals from similar areas of the pitch against Chicago Fire, Portland Timbers, New York Red Bulls, and Colorado Rapids.
McNamara was selected by Houston Dynamo in the second-round of the 2018 MLS Re-Entry Draft on December 20, 2018. He signed with the Dynamo on January 11, 2019, he made his Dynamo debut on February 19, coming on as a substitute in a 1–0 win over C.D. Guastatoya in a CONCACAF Champions League match. McNamara scored his first goal for Houston on May 18 in a 2–1 win over D.C. United. On July 20, he scored a goal and had an assist as the Dynamo defeated Toronto FC 3–1. McNamara would return to NYCFC on August 8 and would mark the occasion by picking up his second assist of the season. However, the Dynamo would lose by a score of 3–2. McNamara would lead the team with 39 appearances across all competitions, and finished the year with 2 goals and 3 assists. It was a poor season for Houston as a team, finishing 10th in the Western Conference and missing out on the playoffs.
McNamara started the first two games of the 2020 season before the season was paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The league returned to play in July with the MLS is Back Tournament, where McNamara made a substitute appearance in 2 of Houston's 3 games.
On August 17, 2020, McNamara was traded to New England Revolution in exchange for Wilfried Zahibo and a 2020 international roster slot. New England also receives $175,000 in General Allocation Money across 2020 and 2021 from Houston in the deal. He made his debut for the Revs on August 29, coming on as a substitute in a 1–1 draw with the New York Red Bulls. On September 6, McNamara recorded his first assist with the Revolution to help New England beat the Chicago Fire 2–1. He ended the season with 2 assists from 14 appearances for the Revs, helping them finish the season 8th in the Eastern Conference and qualify for the playoffs. McNamara played in all four of New England's playoff games, with one of them being a start, as he helped the Revs reach the Eastern Conference final, where they lost 1–0 to the Columbus Crew.
His contract expired following the 2020 season, making him a free agent. He re-signed with the Revolution on December 22.
