Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, McInerney moved with his family to Colorado, Illinois, California, and Florida before finally settling in Alpharetta, Georgia before he entered the third grade.

[3] McInerney turned professional straight out of high school; he was drafted in the first round (7th overall) of the 2010 MLS SuperDraft by Philadelphia Union.

In August 2015, McInerney was traded to the Columbus Crew SC in exchange for a 2nd round pick in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft after the Impact signed Didier Drogba.

[12] Portland Timbers acquired McInerney from the Crew In January 2016 in exchange for targeted and general allocation money.

[17] After scoring 10 goals in the first 14 matches of the 2013 Major League Soccer season, McInerney was named to the preliminary 35-man roster for the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup by Jürgen Klinsmann.