[1] As a player, he began his professional career with Scottish club St Johnstone, and went on to play for several teams in the United States and Mexico, including the San Jose Hawks, San Jose Clash, Tampa Bay Mutiny and Necaxa.

Kinnear moved back to Scotland to try his luck with Scottish Football League club St Johnstone.

[3] In 1989, Kinnear signed with the San Francisco Bay Blackhawks of the Western Soccer League (WSL).

Kinnear then moved to the Fort Lauderdale Strikers for the 1994 APSL season after a summer trial with English club Bolton Wanderers came to nothing.

On December 15, 1996, the Rapids traded Kinnear and a second round draft pick to the San Jose Clash for Paul Bravo and Rafael Amaya.

In February 2001, Kinnear retired and joined the San Jose Earthquakes coaching staff that was led by his former Mutiny teammate Frank Yallop.

[5] Kinnear earned 54 caps for the U.S. national team, including many of his country's warm-up games for the 1994 FIFA World Cup, although he was not selected for the final squad.

Kinnear resigned as head coach of Houston Dynamo effectively as of October 25, 2014, after their last match of the regular season.

[6] Kinnear became the new head coach of San Jose Earthquakes following the conclusion of the 2014 regular season[6] He replaced Mark Watson, who was fired on October 15, 2014.