the 2014 USL Pro final. McLaughlin was loaned for individual matches during the 2015 season, making nine appearances and registering one goal. FC Cincinnati McLaughlin signed with expansion USL club FC Cincinnati ahead of the 2016 season. From the beginning of his Cincinnati career, head coach John Harkes used McLaughlin as one of his main starting midfielders. McLaughlin made 21 appearances, all starts, in his first season, tied for second-most on the team. McLaughlin played an offensive style of midfielding, leading him to score four regular season goals as well as one goal in the 2016 U.S. Open Cup. His total of five goals was the third highest on the team. He continued to be a primary starter for Cincinnati the following season, under the leadership of new head coach Alan Koch. In 2017, he started in 27 of his 32 appearances, made 3 U.S. Open Cup appearances, and scored 5 goals. By this time, McLaughlin had become fan favorite among close followers of the club, and was known for his goal celebration dances. He was also referred to by some as a key playmaker for the team, with Koch telling a reporter, "He's a younger player obviously in this business, and he's definitely got areas of his game to work on, but the beauty of Jimmy is he's got the willingness to address his deficiencies." On June 28, FC Cincinnati faced Chicago Fire SC in the Round of 16 of the 2017 U.S. Open Cup. In the penalty shootout that followed a scoreless 120 minutes, McLaughlin scored one of the three goals that lead his club to a win. McLaughlin was one of just nine FC Cincinnati players to return for the 2018 season, as Koch spent the offseason making significant revisions to the roster. Although McLaughlin did make the cut, he began to see less starts and was used more as a late-game relief substitute. In the first twelve regular-season matches for the club, McLaughlin has seen 9 appearances, only 3 of which were starts. On December 10, 2018, FC Cincinnati, which was then transitioning up to Major League Soccer for the 2019 season, announced that they had signed McLaughlin to an MLS contract. However, on January 9, 2019, he suffered a serious knee injury while training. This was later determined to be a torn ACL, which required surgery and forced him to miss the entire 2019 season