Daniel James McBreen (born 23 April 1977) is a former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who played as a striker. He played in the Romanian

Divizia A Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1 and officially known as SuperLiga for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Romania and the highest level of the Romanian football league system. Contested by 1 ...

for Universitatea Craiova, in the

Scottish Premier League The Scottish Premier League (SPL) was the Scottish football league system, top-level league competition for professional Association football, football clubs in Scotland. The league was founded in 1998, when it broke away from the Scottish Foo ...

for

Falkirk Falkirk ( ; ; ) is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow. Falkirk had a resident population of 32,422 at the ...

, in

the Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in the world, and was the top-level football league in England from ...

for

Scunthorpe United Scunthorpe United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The club was formed in ...

, in the

A-League A-League Men, also known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional soccer league in Australia and New Zealand and the highest level of the Australian soccer league system. Established in 2004 as the A-League by the ...

for

North Queensland Fury Northern Fury Football Club was an Australian professional soccer club based in Townsville, Queensland. The club was founded in 2008 and competed in the A-League under the name North Queensland Fury. On 1 March 2011, the club was removed from th ...

Perth Glory Perth Glory Football Club is an Australian professional Association football, soccer club based in Perth, Perth, Western Australia. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under Professional sports league organi ...

and

Central Coast Mariners Central Coast Mariners Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Gosford, on the Central Coast of New South Wales. It competes in the A-League Men, under licence from the Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The Mar ...

, in the

Chinese Super League The Chinese Football Super League (), commonly known as the Chinese Super League or the CSL (), also known as the China Resources Beverage Chinese Football Super League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Ch ...

for

Shanghai Dongya Shanghai Port Football Club (), previously Shanghai SIPG (), is a Chinese professional football club based in Shanghai, that competes in . Shanghai Port plays its home matches at the Pudong Football Stadium, located within Pudong. Their owners a ...

and in the

Hong Kong Premier League The Hong Kong Premier League () is a Hong Kong professional football league organised by the Football Association of Hong Kong, China. It is currently sponsored by BOC Life and officially known as BOC Life Hong Kong Premier League (). The inau ...

for

South China South China ( zh, s=, p=Huá'nán, j=jyut6 naam4) is a geographical and cultural region that covers the southernmost part of China. Its precise meaning varies with context. A notable feature of South China in comparison to the rest of China is ...

. He is the formerly head coach of the Newcastle Jets youth team. Born in England, McBreen moved to Australia with his family when he was six weeks old and started his career in local football with Toronto Awaba Stags and

Edgeworth Eagles Edgeworth Football Club is an Australian semi-professional Association football, football club based in the suburb of Edgeworth, New South Wales, Edgeworth, near Newcastle, New South Wales, Newcastle, New South Wales. The club currently competes ...

. He earned a professional contract with

National Soccer League The National Soccer League (NSL) was the top-level soccer league in Australia, run by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL, the A-League's predecessor, spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977 until its ...

club

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...

in 2000, where he played for two seasons before joining Universitatea Craiova of the Romanian Divizia A. He left them amid a dispute over wages in 2004, when he joined Falkirk, where he won the

Scottish First Division The Scottish Football League First Division was the second tier in the Scottish football league system between 1975 and 2013. It was replaced by the Scottish Championship. History The First Division was introduced in 1975–76 in Scottish footb ...

title and the

Scottish Challenge Cup The Scottish Professional Football League Challenge Cup,League One League One or League 1 may refer to: Association football * EFL League One, the third tier of football in England. * China League One, the second tier of football in China * K League 1, the top-tier football in South Korea * Lao League 1 * Lea ...

club Scunthorpe United in 2006. He played sporadically in their 2006–07 League One title-winning season, and was loaned to

Conference Premier The National League, officially known as Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in England. The National League is the first division of the National Leagues and step 1 of the National Le ...

club

York City York City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system, as of the 2024–25 seas ...

in 2007 before having a short spell with

St Johnstone St Johnstone Football Club is a professional association football club in Perth, Scotland. The team competes in the , the second division of Scottish football. The club's name is derived from St John's Toun (or Saint Johnstoun)—an old name o ...

in the Scottish First Division. McBreen rejoined York permanently in 2008 and played one season for them, with his last match in Europe coming in their defeat in the 2009 FA Trophy Final at

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...

. He returned to Australia to play in the A-League for North Queensland Fury, but mid-season agreed to join division rivals Central Coast Mariners for the next two seasons. McBreen completed 2009–10 with another A-League club, Perth Glory, and his good form with them resulted in a call-up to the Australia national team. He was part of the Mariners team that finished in second place in the

2010–11 A-League The 2010–11 A-League was the 34th season of top-flight soccer in Australia, and the sixth season of the Australian A-League soccer competition since its establishment in 2004. The home and away season began on 5 August 2010 and concluded on 13 ...

but was beaten in the

2011 A-League Grand Final The 2011 A-League Grand Final was the sixth A-League Grand Final taking place on 13 March 2011 at Suncorp Stadium. It was the final match in the A-League 2010–11 season, played between premiers Brisbane Roar and runners-up Central Coast Marin ...

. The Mariners were the Australian Premiers in 2011–12, but were knocked out of the

finals series Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...

in the preliminary final. McBreen scored one of the Mariners' goals in the

2013 A-League Grand Final The 2013 A-League Grand Final was the eighth A-League Grand Final, which took place at the Sydney Football Stadium on 21 April 2013. The match was won by Central Coast Mariners, who beat Western Sydney Wanderers 2–0, in front of 42,102 people. ...

as they were crowned A-League Champions, and for his performance he was awarded the

Joe Marston Medal The Joe Marston Medal is an A-League Men award given to the player of the match in the A-League Men Grand Final each year. Introduced in 1990, previously the award was also given to the best player in the National Soccer League grand final. The ...

. He had already won A-League Golden Boot as the division's top scorer with 17 goals. He then went on loan with Shanghai Dongya, before joining them permanently for the

2014 Chinese Super League The 2014 Chinese Super League was the eleventh season since the establishment of the Chinese Super League, the 21st season of a professional Association football league and the 53rd top-tier league season in China. Guangzhou Evergrande won their ...

and having a spell with South China for the remainder of the

2014–15 Hong Kong Premier League 2014–15 Hong Kong Premier League (also known as BOCG Life Hong Kong Premier League for sponsorship reasons) was the inaugural season of Hong Kong Premier League, the top division of Hong Kong football. The fixtures were announced on 15 August 2 ...

Club career

Early life and career

McBreen was born in

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...

, Lancashire, England to Jim and Kathy (née Wood). The family moved to Australia six weeks later after his father took up an offer to play

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

for

. He was raised in

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...

, New South Wales and started his career playing local football for Toronto Awaba Stags before joining Edgeworth Eagles in 1999. McBreen scored over 20 goals for them in the 1999 Northern NSW State Football League before being the league's top scorer the following season with 23 goals. However, he was dropped for the grand final, when Edgeworth were beaten 3–0 by Hamilton Olympic. McBreen earned his first professional contract aged 23 with

of the

in July 2000. He later credited Edgeworth coach Bobby Naumov for the move, saying "He set me on the road to a pro career". McBreen made his debut that year, and scored 6 goals from 23 appearances as Newcastle finished in 14th place in the

2000–01 National Soccer League The 2000–01 National Soccer League season, was the 25th season of the National Soccer League in Australia. Regular season League table Finals series Bracket Elimination finals *Melbourne Knights 0–0 : 2–2 Perth Glory *Sydney Olympic ...

table. Newcastle turned full-time the following year, and McBreen played 13 matches and scored 3 goals with Newcastle improving their league position by ranking second in the

2001–02 National Soccer League The 2001–02 National Soccer League season, was the 26th season of the National Soccer League in Australia. Prior to the start of the season, Canberra Cosmos and Eastern Pride were removed from the competition, reducing the league to 13 tea ...

table. Despite playing less frequently he enjoyed working under new coach

Ian Crook Ian Stuart Crook (born 18 January 1963) is an English football manager and former professional player. As a player, he was a midfielder who began his career with Tottenham Hotspur. before making 418 appearances for Norwich City where he notably ...

, saying "you can speak to him as a human being and he can man manage. He made training enjoyable".

Spells in Europe

After being offered a

trial In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribunal, w ...

with Universitatea Craiova by an agent, McBreen signed for the Romanian

club in July 2002 on a three-year contract. He made his debut in 3–1 win over

Astra Ploiești Asociația Fotbal Club Astra Giurgiu (), commonly known as Astra Giurgiu or simply Astra, was a Romanian Association football, football Club (organization), club last based in the city of Giurgiu, Giurgiu County. Founded in 1921 in Ploiești as ' ...

on 17 August, and scored only once in 13 appearances for a Craiova team that ranked seventh in the

2002–03 Divizia A The 2002–03 Divizia A was the eighty-fifth season of Liga I, Divizia A, the top-level association football, football league of Romania. Season began in August 2002 and ended in May 2003. FC Rapid București, Rapid București became champions o ...

table. However, McBreen's wages were continually paid late throughout the season and he came close to a move to Norwegian

Tippeligaen Eliteserien () is a professional association football league in Norway and the highest level of the Norwegian football league system. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Norwegian First Division ...

club

Lillestrøm Lillestrøm is a municipality in Akershus county. It is located in the traditional district of Romerike. With a population of 85,757 inhabitants, it is the fourth most populated municipality in Viken. It was founded on 1 January 2020 as a merger ...

, only for Craiova to twice raise their asking price for him on transfer deadline day. He played more regularly the next season, making 20 appearances and scoring 2 goals as Craiova finished fourth in the

2003–04 Divizia A The 2003–04 Divizia A was the eighty-sixth season of Divizia A, the top-level football league of Romania. Season began in August 2003 and ended in June 2004. Dinamo București became champions on 3 June 2004. Team changes Relegated The teams ...

table. He finally left Craiova in 2004 after the club's president

Pavel Badea Pavel Badea (born 10 June 1967) is a Romanian retired footballer who played as a midfielder. He played professionally in Romania, Switzerland, South Korea and Japan. Playing career Badea began his professional football career with Universitat ...

, a former teammate of McBreen's at the club, signed a letter releasing him from his contract. He took his case to

FIFA The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...

and the

Court of Arbitration for Sport The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS; , TAS) is an international body established in 1984 to settle disputes related to sport through arbitration. Its headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland, and its courts are located in New York City, Sy ...

with the help of

Professional Footballers Australia The Professional Footballers Australia (PFA), formerly the Australian Soccer Players' Association, is an Australian trade union affiliated with the Australian Council of Trade Unions and FIFPRO that represents Professional sports, professional ...

, and only received the money he was owed after the club was given a three-point deduction and was threatened with automatic

relegation Promotion and relegation is used by sports leagues as a process where teams can move up and down among divisions in a league system, based on their performance over a season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are sometimes call ...

. McBreen was prepared to return to Australia before being offered a trial with

of the

. He also played for

Conference South The National League South, officially Vanarama National League South, is a professional Association football league in England. National League South is the second division of the National Leagues and step 2 of the NLS and sixth-highest ti ...

club St Albans City in pre-season before Falkirk received international clearance to play him in September 2004. McBreen made his debut as a 73rd-minute substitute for Andy Thomson in a 3–0 home win over Gretna in the

Scottish Challenge Cup The Scottish Professional Football League Challenge Cup, He came on as a 72nd-minute substitute for Thomson in the 2004 Scottish Challenge Cup Final, in which Falkirk beat Ross County 2–1 at

McDiarmid Park McDiarmid Park is a stadium in Perth, Scotland, Perth, Scotland, used mainly for association football. It has been the home ground of Scottish Premiership side St Johnstone F.C., St Johnstone since its opening in 1989. The stadium has an All-seat ...

on 7 November. His first goal came on his first start for the club, with a shot from eight yards seconds before half-time, as Falkirk beat

Raith Rovers Raith Rovers Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the town of Kirkcaldy, Fife. The club was founded in 1883 and currently competes in the as a member of the Scottish Professional Football League. The club has won f ...

2–0 away on 13 November. This marked the start of a run of nine goals from seven matches, and come the end of the season McBreen and his strike partner

Darryl Duffy Darryl Alexander Duffy (born 16 April 1984) is a Scottish footballer who plays as a striker for Largs Thistle. He began playing professionally in 2003 and has played for sixteen different teams across a number of countries. He played for Scot ...

had scored a combined total of 40 goals. He finished 2004–05 with 13 goals from 26 matches as Falkirk were promoted to the

2004–05 Scottish First Division The 2004–05 Scottish First Division was won by Falkirk. As league champions, Falkirk were promoted to the Scottish Premier League. Partick Thistle and Raith Rovers were relegated to the Second Division, and Second Division winners Brechin ...

champions. His 13 league goals saw him ranked as the division's fourth highest scorer. McBreen signed a new one-year contract with Falkirk in June 2005, and

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

John Hughes John Hughes may refer to: Arts and Entertainment Literature *John Hughes (poet) (1677–1720), English poet *John Hughes (1790–1857), English author *John Ceiriog Hughes (1832–1887), Welsh poet *John Hughes (writer) (born 1961), Australian au ...

predicted "With a good pre-season under his belt, I'm sure he'll get even better". He scored his first goal of the 2005–06 season in the 83rd minute of a home match against

Rangers A ranger is typically someone in a law enforcement or military/paramilitary role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called "ranging" or "scouting". The term most often refers to: * Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with prot ...

on 10 September, with a header from

Alan Gow Alan Gow (born 9 October 1982) is a Scottish former footballer. As a player he played as either a striker or an attacking midfielder. He is currently under-18s manager of Airdrieonians. Gow started his senior career with his hometown club Cl ...

's cross that secured Falkirk a 1–1 draw. McBreen scored the only goal in Falkirk's 1–0 win over

Livingston Livingston or Livingstonemay refer to: Businesses * Livingston Energy Flight, an Italian airline (2003–2010) * Livingston Compagnia Aerea, an Italian airline (2011–2014), also known as Livingston Airline * Livingston International, a North Am ...

on 6 May 2006 with a header from Gow's free kick, which was only the team's second victory at home all season. He appeared more frequently in 2005–06, making 38 appearances but only scoring 8 goals, with Falkirk ranking in 10th place in the

2005–06 Scottish Premier League The 2005–06 Scottish Premier League was won by Celtic, with a 17-point margin over their nearest challengers Hearts in the first season under the management of Gordon Strachan. Rangers, who finished third, failed to finish a Scottish top flight ...

table. Despite taking over the main striking role after Duffy's transfer to

Hull City Hull City Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. They compete in the , the second level of the English football league system. They play their home ...

in January, McBreen was released by the club in May. He went on trial with

League One League One or League 1 may refer to: Association football * EFL League One, the third tier of football in England. * China League One, the second tier of football in China * K League 1, the top-tier football in South Korea * Lao League 1 * Lea ...

clubs

Northampton Town Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1897, the c ...

Brighton & Hove Albion Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club, commonly referred to as Brighton, is a professional football club based in Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Their home gr ...

and

, signing for the latter on 30 August 2006 on a two-year contract. He made his debut two days later starting a 2–0 away victory over Gillingham, but due to a hamstring injury that kept him out of action for 10 months his last appearance of 2006–07 came in November. He made 10 appearances for a Scunthorpe team that won

promotion Promotion may refer to: Marketing * Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...

to the

Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...

as 2006–07 League One champions. At the end of the season, McBreen was told by Scunthorpe manager

Nigel Adkins Nigel Howard Adkins (born 11 March 1965) is an English professional football manager and former footballer and physiotherapist. He was most recently the manager and technical director at Tranmere Rovers. Adkins played as a goalkeeper for Tran ...

that he was free to pursue a transfer to another club, despite having a year remaining on his contract. McBreen joined

club

on 5 October 2007 on a one-month

loan In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money. The document evidencing the deb ...

, with the option of a possible extension. His York debut came in a 4–1 home defeat to

Histon Histon is a village and civil parish in the South Cambridgeshire district, in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is immediately north of Cambridge – and is separated from the city – by the A14 road (England), A14 road which runs eas ...

a day later and scored his first goal in the following match against

Stafford Rangers Stafford Rangers Football Club is a semi-professional English football team from Stafford which plays in the Northern Premier League Division One West. The team wear black and white stripes with black shorts. Stafford Rangers' rivals include ...

, with a header from a

Martyn Woolford Martyn Paul Woolford (born 13 October 1985) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He has played in the Football League for Scunthorpe United, Bristol City, Millwall, Sheffield United, Fleetwood Town and Grims ...

cross in a 2–0 home victory. After making five appearances and scoring two goals he was recalled by Scunthorpe on 5 November due to the departure of on-loan

Millwall Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Poplar, north of Greenwich and Deptford, east of ...

striker Ben May. Despite this, York manager Billy McEwan was interested in bringing McBreen back to the club for another loan spell. He bought out the remainder of his Scunthorpe contract to join

of the Scottish First Division on 2 January 2008 on a contract until the end of the season. His debut came the same day in a 1–1 home draw with

Dundee Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...

, which he entered as a 62nd-minute substitute for

Liam Craig Liam Craig (born 27 December 1986) is a Scottish former professional footballer. He is an attack-minded creative midfield player who operates on the left side of midfield or in a central position. He has played for Falkirk, St Johnstone and H ...

. He suffered a knee injury during this match, and this hampered his progress at the club. On 20 April, McBreen scored the opening goal with a back-post header from

Paul Sheerin Paul George Sheerin (born 28 August 1974) is a Scottish former football player and coach who is the assistant manager of Heart of Midlothian. Sheerin played as a midfielder for Alloa Athletic, Southampton, Östersunds FK, Inverness Caledonian ...

's cross in St Johnstone's

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Hampden Park Hampden Park ( ; Scottish Gaelic: ''Pàirc Hampden'') is a association football, football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland, which is the national stadium of football in Scotland and home of the Scotland national football ...

extra time Overtime (OT) or extra time (ET) is an additional period of play to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played only if the game is required t ...

, which they eventually lost in a

penalty shoot-out The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...

. St Johnstone finished in third place in the

2007–08 Scottish First Division The 2007–08 First Division season was the 14th season of the First Division in its current format of ten teams. The team which finished first were automatically promoted to the Scottish Premier League. The team which finished bottom were auto ...

table as McBreen made seven appearances and scored one goal before being released by the club in May. Daniel McBreen 09-05-2009 1

McBreen held talks with

team

Adelaide United Adelaide United Football Club is a professional men's soccer club located in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. The club was one of the eight founding members of the A-League Men and have competed in it concurrently since its formation, u ...

before being handed a trial with their divisional rivals

Wellington Phoenix Wellington Phoenix Football Club is a professional football club based in Wellington, New Zealand. It competes in the Australian A-League Men, under licence from Football Federation Australia. Phoenix entered the competition in the 2007–08 ...

. He returned to former club York City on 25 June 2008 on a one-year contract. His first match back at the club was a 1–0 away victory over

Crawley Town Crawley Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crawley, West Sussex, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded in 1896 as Crawley Foo ...

and in his third appearance he scored his first goal of the 2008–09 season with a left-footed shot from 17 yards in a 1–1 home draw with Histon. McBreen was played primarily as a lone striker in away matches during 2008–09, a decision which York manager Colin Walker defended in September; Dave Flett of ''

The Press ''The Press'' () is a daily newspaper published in Christchurch, New Zealand, owned by media business Stuff (company), Stuff Ltd. First published in 1861, the newspaper is the largest circulating daily in the South Island and publishes Monday t ...

'' commented that he " edthe line lazily". During February 2009, it was reported in the Australian media that he had agreed join A-League newcomers

, although York were unaware of any transfer taking place. It was later confirmed that he would join the Fury in August for the

2009–10 A-League The 2009–10 A-League was the 33rd season of top-flight soccer in Australia, and the fifth season of the A-League competition since its establishment in 2004. The season marked the addition of two new teams from Queensland. Gold Coast United F ...

, following the expiry of his York contract in June. He had scored in every round of the

2008–09 FA Trophy The FA Trophy 2008–09 was the fortieth season of the FA Trophy, the Football Association's cup competition for teams at levels 5–8 of the English football league system. The number of team entries for this season was 263. Calendar Preliminar ...

leading up to the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...

, bar the first round when he was an unused substitute, and ahead of the final commented that: "I couldn't ask for anything more than a Wembley final to end my career in Europe and it's also a great finale to a disappointing season for the fans and players". He started in the match at

on 9 May, which York lost 2–0 to

Stevenage Borough Stevenage Football Club (known as Stevenage Borough Football Club until 2010) is a professional association football club based in the town of Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England. The club competes in EFL League One, the third level of the Engli ...

. He made 48 appearances and scored 10 goals with York finishing in 17th place in the 2008–09 Conference Premier table.

Return to Australia

McBreen made his debut for North Queensland Fury in a 3–2 home defeat to

Sydney FC Sydney Football Club, commonly known as Sydney FC, is a professional association football, soccer club based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. They compete in the top-tier men's league in Australia, the A-League Men. Established in 2004, ...

on 8 August 2009 as an 82nd-minute substitute for Paul Kohler. He soon established himself in the starting line-up, and scored his first goal for the Fury after heading in a

Fred Agius Frederick "Fred" Agius (born 2 February 1984) is an Australian footballer who plays for South Australian Amateur Soccer League team Brahma Lodge. In 2003, he played Australian rules football for Central District in the South Australian Nation ...

cross in the 87th minute of a 3–3 draw with Adelaide United on 28 August. He went on to sign a two-year pre-contract with A-League opponents

, for the

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

and 2011–12 seasons, in December. McBreen was used mostly as a substitute after the move was announced, before signing an interim contract with

for the remainder of the 2009–10 season in a swap for

Jimmy Downey James Downey (born 19 October 1987) is an Australian footballer who last played for Ballarat Red Devils in the National Premier Leagues Victoria Division 1. Club career Downey was with the Queensland Academy of Sport between 2003 and 2004 bef ...

on 12 January 2010. He had scored 3 goals in 21 appearances for the Fury. McBreen's debut for the Glory came when he entered a 6–2 away loss to

Melbourne Victory Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Melbourne, Victoria. Competing in the country's premier men's competition, the A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL), Victory ...

as a 38th-minute substitute for

Chris Coyne Christopher John Coyne (born 20 December 1978) is an Australian former Association football, soccer player and coach who is currently head of Perth Glory FC Youth, Perth Glory Youth NPL in National Premier Leagues Western Australia (NPLWA). In a ...

on 16 January 2010. He started and scored in the next match three days later, a 3–2 away win over Adelaide United, with the winning goal in the 77th minute. This marked the start of a run of five goals from four matches, helping the Glory finish fifth in the 2009–10 A-League table and thus qualify for the

. McBreen played in their 4–2 penalty shoot-out defeat to Wellington Phoenix in the fourth v fifth semi-final on 21 February, which followed a 1–1 draw after extra time. He had scored five goals in seven appearances for the Glory, and with eight goals altogether he was the 2009–10 A-League's eighth highest scorer. His good form was rewarded with his first call-up for the Australia national team. McBreen made his debut for the Mariners in 1–0 away win over

Melbourne Heart Melbourne City Football Club is an Australian professional Association football, soccer club based in the South-Eastern Metropolitan Region, South-Eastern region of Melbourne, Victoria. They compete in the A-League Men, the Australian soccer ...

on 5 August 2010, in which he was substituted for

Nik Mrdja Nikola "Nik" Mrdja (born 30 November 1978) is an Australian former professional association football, soccer player, who played as a forward (association football), forward. Mrdja had a career spanning several National Soccer League (NSL) and A ...

in the 90th minute. His first goal came nearly a month later when heading in

Matt Simon Matthew Blake Simon (born 22 January 1986) is a retired Australian international football (soccer) player who played as a striker. Simon attended St Edward's College, East Gosford, where he was influenced to play soccer. Simon started his se ...

's cross in the 50th minute of a 2–0 home win over Melbourne Victory on 3 September. McBreen was

sent off In sports, an ejection (also known as dismissal, sending-off, disqualification, or early shower) is the removal of a participant from a contest due to a violation of the sport's rules. The exact violations that lead to an ejection vary depending ...

for the first time since returning to Australia with a second

yellow card Yellow card may refer to: * Yellow card (sport), shown in many sports after a rules infraction or, by analogy, a serious warning in other areas * Yellowcard, an American alternative rock band * Yellow Card Scheme, a United Kingdom initiative co ...

during the stoppage time of a 5–1 home defeat to

Brisbane Roar Brisbane Roar Football Club is a professional soccer club based in Brisbane, Queensland. competing in Australia's premier men's competition, A-League Men, which is the top tier Australia's football pyramid. When Queensland Lions F.C. were ...

on 28 November, and returned from suspension as a 52nd-minute substitute for

Adam Kwasnik Adam Kwasnik (born 31 May 1983) is an Australian former professional association football player who played as a striker. Club career Kwasnik was part of the inaugural Central Coast Mariners squad in 2005–06, and was a substitute in the ...

in a 1–1 draw away to Perth Glory on 12 December. With a second-placed finish in the 2010–11 A-League table the Mariners qualified for the

, and he started in their 4–2 aggregate defeat to Brisbane Roar in the major semi-final and their 1–0 win over

Gold Coast United Gold Coast United Football Club is an Australian Association football, soccer club based in Gold Coast, Queensland. The earliest incarnation of the club formed in 1966 and its home ground was at Nikiforides Family Park in Broadbeach. The first ...

in the preliminary final. McBreen came on as a 72nd-minute substitute for Simon in the

Lang Park Brisbane Stadium (Lang Park), currently known as Suncorp Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in the suburb of Milton, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Nicknamed The Cauldron, it is a three-tiered rectangular sporting st ...

on 13 March 2011, and after a 2–2 extra time draw he missed one of the

penalty kick A penalty shot or penalty kick is a play used in several sports whereby a goal is attempted during untimed play. Depending on the sport, when a player commits certain types of penalties, the opposition is awarded a penalty shot or kick attempt. ...

s as the Mariners lost the shoot-out 4–2. He made 31 appearances and scored 5 goals for the Mariners in 2010–11. Early into the 2011–12 A-League season he was deployed as the focal of a midfield diamond, and this contributed to the team's improving form. McBreen scored his first goal of the season in a 3–1 home win over Melbourne Heart, with an 82nd-minute penalty kick, and his only A-League goal scored in normal play came after converting

Pedj Bojic Predrag "Pedj" Bojić (born 9 April 1984) is an Australian soccer player who last played professionally for Sydney FC. Club career Bojić's professional career began at Australian club Parramatta Power in the 2000–01 season, where he playe ...

's cross in a 3–2 home victory over Adelaide United on 21 January 2012. The Mariners became the A-League Premiers after finishing in first place in the 2011–12 table, also qualifying for the

. He appeared as a substitute in the first leg of their 5–2 aggregate defeat to Brisbane Roar in the major semi-final, and as a substitute in the preliminary final against Perth Glory, in which the Mariners were beaten 5–3 in a penalty shoot-out after a 1–1 extra time draw. McBreen made five appearances and scored twice in the

2012 AFC Champions League The 2012 AFC Champions League was the 31st edition of the top-level Asian club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 10th under the current AFC Champions League title. Ulsan Hyundai from South Korea wo ...

, as they were eliminated from the tournament after finishing third in their group. He scored 4 goals from 30 matches in 2011–12, and was handed a new contract with the Mariners for the

2012–13 A-League The 2012–13 A-League was the 36th season of top-flight soccer in Australia, and the eighth season of the Australian A-League since its establishment in 2004. The 2012–13 season saw the introduction of a new Western Sydney-based team, the r ...

in April. McBreen's first goal of 2012–13 came seven minutes after entering the Mariners's 1–0 win at home to Perth Glory as a 63rd-minute substitute, in what was his first appearance of the season. He recorded the first

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...

in the Mariners' history in their 7–2 home win over Sydney FC on 3 November 2012, scoring in the first half with a penalty kick and in the second half with a close range finish and a header from

Josh Rose Joshua Liam "Josh" Rose (born 16 December 1981) is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a left back for National Premier Leagues Northern NSW side Edgeworth. He previously featured in the A-League for New Zealand Knights, C ...

's cross. This marked the start of a run of 14 goals from 15 matches, helping the Mariners to second place in the 2012–13 A-League table and thus a place in the

. With 17 goals McBreen won the A-League Golden Boot, awarded to the division's top scorer. In the semi-final of the finals series he scored the only goal in the Mariner's 1–0 win over Melbourne Victory on 14 April 2013 with a powerful shot in the 42nd minute. One week later he scored the second goal with a 68th-minute penalty kick as the Mariners beat

Western Sydney Wanderers Western Sydney Wanderers Football Club (colloquially known as Western Sydney, Wanderers, or simply as WSW) is an Australian professional association football club based in the Western Sydney region of Sydney, New South Wales. It competes in t ...

2–0 at

Sydney Football Stadium Sydney Football Stadium may refer to: * Sydney Football Stadium (1988), the original stadium which was demolished in 2019. * Sydney Football Stadium (2022) Sydney Football Stadium, currently known as Allianz Stadium for sponsorship reasons, i ...

in the

. This was the first time the Mariners had won the A-League Championship, and McBreen was awarded the

, given to the

man of the match In team sport, a player of the match award (also known as man of the match or woman of the match) is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chose ...

of the Grand Final, before being named as a substitute in the PFA A-League Team of the Season. He made six appearances in the team's run to the round of 16 of the AFC Champions League, when they were beaten 5–1 on aggregate by

Guangzhou Evergrande Guangzhou Football Club (), previously Guangzhou Evergrande (), was a Chinese professional football club based in Guangzhou, Guangdong. Historically, Guangzhou FC played its home matches at various grounds in their home city, most notably at T ...

of the

. McBreen signed a new contract with the Mariners for the

2013–14 A-League The 2013–14 A-League was the 37th season of top-flight soccer in Australia, and the ninth of the A-League since its establishment in 2004. The season began on 11 October 2013, with Western Sydney Wanderers as the defending A-League Premiers ...

in May, having scored 19 goals from 33 appearances in 2012–13.

Spells in Asia

On 8 June 2013, McBreen joined Chinese Super League team

on a five-month loan lasting until 31 October, joining his former teammate

Bernie Ibini-Isei Bernie Alpha Ibini-Isei (born 12 September 1992), also known simply as Bernie Ibini, is a professional football player who plays as a striker or a winger, and most recently played for Singapore Premier League club Lion City Sailors. Born in ...

who completed his transfer four days earlier. His debut came a month later after starting Shanghai's 3–0 home defeat to

Beijing Guoan Beijing Guoan Football Club (), known in AFC competitions as Beijing FC, is a Chinese professional football club based in Beijing, that competes in . Beijing Guoan plays its home matches at the Workers' Stadium, located within Chaoyang Distr ...

on 7 July, and a week later scored his first goal in the 10th minute of a 3–0 away victory over

Guizhou Renhe Beijing Chengfeng Football Club ( zh, s=北京橙丰, t=北京橙丰, p=Běijīng Chéngfēng) was a professional Chinese Association football, football club that last participated in the Chinese League One under licence from the Chinese Footbal ...

. He scored 3 goals in 13 appearances for Shanghai before returning for the Mariners when starting their 1–0 home defeat to the Brisbane Roar on 10 November. McBreen's first goal for the Mariners in the 2013–14 A-League came with a close-range backheel with the only goal in a 1–0 victory at home to Sydney FC on 7 December. McBreen scored twice in 12 appearances for the Mariners in 2013–14 before signing for Shanghai Dongya permanently on a one-season contract for a fee of $250,000 on 31 January 2014. His second debut came when starting their 1–1 away draw with

Liaoning Hongyun Liaoning Football Club (), officially known as Liaoning Hongyun (), was a professional association football club with a long history in Chinese football. The club can predate their formation to 1953, when Shenyang government sports body joined ex ...

on 9 March, before scoring his first goal of the

with a left-footed volley from outside the

penalty area The penalty area or 18-yard box (also known less formally as the penalty box or simply box) is an area of an association football pitch. It is rectangular and extends to each side of the goal and in front of it. If any part of the ball is ove ...

in a 1–1 draw at home to Shanghai Greenland Shenhua on 26 April. He went without scoring in the final three months of the season, which he finished with 5 goals from 28 appearances as Shanghai ranked in fifth place in the 2014 Chinese Super League table. McBreen stated his desire to stay for another season, but admitted he might not be retained after the club was taken over by new owners. He signed for

club

for the remainder of the

on 21 January 2015. McBreen debuted four days later as a 77th-minute substitute for

Yuto Nakamura Yuto Nakamura ( ''Nakamura Yūto''; ''Zhōngcūn Yòurén''; born 23 January 1987) is a former Japanese-born Hong Kong professional footballer who played as a striker. Club career Citizen On 16 December 2011, Nakamura scored a hat-trick agai ...

in a 4–2 away win over Sun Pegasus, before scoring twice in their 6–1 away victory against

Global Global may refer to: General *Globe, a spherical model of celestial bodies *Earth, the third planet from the Sun Entertainment * ''Global'' (Paul van Dyk album), 2003 * ''Global'' (Bunji Garlin album), 2007 * ''Global'' (Humanoid album), 198 ...

in the 2015 AFC Cup group stage on 25 February. He started for South China in their 4–0 defeat to

Kitchee Kitchee Sports Club (; ; ) is a Hong Kong professional Association football, football club based in Kowloon. It was founded in 1931 and currently competes in the Hong Kong Premier League. The club has won 12 List of Hong Kong football champion ...

in the 2014–15 Hong Kong League Cup Final at

Mong Kok Stadium Mong Kok Stadium () is a stadium in Mong Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong. With a capacity of 6,664 (comprising four stands of 1,666), it hosts Hong Kong Premier League football matches, with Kitchee SC, Kitchee currently using the venue. The stadium is ...

on 22 April. McBreen scored both of the team's goals in their 2–0 victory over

Eastern Sports Club Eastern Athletic Association Football Team Limited, also known as Eastern Sports Club (), is a Hong Kong professional sports club whose football section competes in the Hong Kong Premier League, the top flight of Hong Kong football. History ...

in the AFC Cup play-off semi-final, and started their 1–1 extra time draw with

YFCMD Metro Gallery Football Club () is a Hong Kong football club which currently competes in the Hong Kong Second Division. History The team began as Fourway Athletics (), it joined Hong Kong First Division in 2008–09 season as a competition memb ...

in the final, but was substituted before the 4–2 penalty shoot-out win. South China finished fourth in the 2014–15 Hong Kong Premier League table, and McBreen scored 11 goals from 17 appearances before his contract expired in May.

International career

Australia national team coach

Pim Verbeek Peter Tim Dirk "Pim" Verbeek (12 March 1956 – 28 November 2019) was a Dutch football manager who last coached the Oman national football team. Playing career As a player, Verbeek was a defender or a midfielder and spent his entire career at S ...

selected McBreen in an extended squad of 25 players for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualifier against

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

on 3 March 2010. He was an unused substitute as Australia beat Indonesia 1–0.

Style of play

McBreen played as a striker and was good in the air and adept at holding the ball up and bringing teammates into play. At , he posed a threat at set pieces. North Queensland Fury coach Ian Ferguson commented on his physicality, describing him as "an aggressive player ... who will give centre halves a hard time".

Coaching career

McBreen was appointed as the head coach of the

Newcastle Jets Newcastle United Jets Football Club, commonly known as Newcastle Jets, is an Australian professional soccer club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier competition, the A-League, under licence from the Australi ...

under-15 team in October 2015, and remained playing on a semi-professional basis with former club Edgeworth in the

National Premier Leagues Northern NSW The National Premier Leagues Northern NSW (NPL NNSW) is a semi-professional soccer competition in Northern New South Wales. The competition is conducted by Northern NSW Football, one of two organizing bodies in New South Wales (the other being ...

for the 2016 season. He retired from playing at the end of the 2019 season and was appointed as the head coach of the Newcastle Jets youth team on 13 September 2019. In April 2022, he left his post as coach, amid suggestions he and football manager

Craig Deans Craig Deans (born 7 May 1974) is an Australian former soccer player and former head coach of the Newcastle Jets. Playing career Deans was a central defender for multiple Australian clubs, with most of his appearances coming in the National Soc ...

had lost faith in the club's management.

Media career

Since 2021, McBreen has worked for

Network 10 Network 10 (commonly known as the 10 Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Global's UK & Australia division and is one of the five national free-to-a ...

providing commentary and punditry on the

Australia men's national soccer team The Australia men's national soccer team represents Australia in international men's Association football, soccer. Officially nicknamed the Socceroos, the team is controlled by the governing body for soccer in Australia, Football Austral ...

and

A-League Men A-League Men, also known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional Association football, soccer league in Australia and New Zealand and the highest level of the Australian soccer league system. Established in 2004 as ...

matches.

Personal life

Before turning professional McBreen worked a number of jobs along with playing football, saying "I did everything – too many jobs to mention – and I know I would rather be on the training ground than sat in an office or hauling concrete all day". He married Gabrielle Stockton in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, New South Wales in December 2014 and the couple have two sons, Noah and Leo.

Career statistics

Honours

Falkirk *

: 2004–05 *

Scottish Challenge Cup The Scottish Professional Football League Challenge Cup,2004–05 York City *

FA Trophy The Football Association Challenge Trophy, also known as the Isuzu FA Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after The Football Association (the FA) and competed by mainly National League ...

runner-up: 2008–09 Central Coast Mariners *

Premiership: 2011–12 *A-League Championship:

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

Edgeworth *

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

Individual * A-League Golden Boot:

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

* PFA A-League Team of the Season: 2012–13

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McBreen, Daniel 1977 births Living people Footballers from Burnley Soccer players from Newcastle, New South Wales Australian men's soccer players English men's footballers Men's association football forwards Toronto Awaba Stags FC players Edgeworth FC players Newcastle Jets FC players FC U Craiova 1948 players Falkirk F.C. players Scunthorpe United F.C. players York City F.C. players St Johnstone F.C. players Northern Fury FC players Perth Glory FC players Central Coast Mariners FC players Shanghai Port F.C. players South China AA players National Soccer League (Australia) players Liga I players Scottish Football League players Scottish Premier League players English Football League players National League (English football) players A-League Men players Chinese Super League players Hong Kong Premier League players Association football coaches Australian expatriate men's soccer players English expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in China Expatriate men's footballers in Hong Kong Expatriate men's footballers in Romania Australian expatriate sportspeople in China Australian expatriate sportspeople in Hong Kong Australian expatriate sportspeople in Romania English expatriate sportspeople in China English expatriate sportspeople in Hong Kong English expatriate sportspeople in Romania English emigrants to Australia Australian expatriate sportspeople in England Australian expatriate sportspeople in Scotland