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GROWING up on the Isle of Lewis, Ally Mackay was always dreaming.

He’d think about what he could do and where he could go.

Brendan Rodgers' men will face Mackay's team in the early hours of Sunday morning
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Brendan Rodgers' men will face Mackay's team in the early hours of Sunday morningCredit: PA
Mackay won't be able to attend the friendly clash this weekend
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Mackay won't be able to attend the friendly clash this weekendCredit: Getty

But that burning desire led to a minor fallout with his old man — and a love affair with Celtic that would last a lifetime.

In November Mackay, 37, became the MLS’ youngest general manager when he took over at DC United.

But he became a Hoops fan after a childhood argument with dad Calum, one of the first members of the Lewis & Harris Rangers’ Supporters Club.

Mackay said: “When you grow up in Lewis, you have to dream. You’re looking out over the miles of marsh and sheep and you see the Hollywood movies on the box.

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“I always wanted to do stuff. I had big aspirations. I just didn’t know how to do them because I was so young.

“My parents would say I was fine but I was quite difficult because I was so driven. I don’t remember why, but I fell out with my dad. It wasn’t anything big, it must have been about football.

“He’s a massive Rangers fan. I was like, ‘I’m going to support Celtic’. Maybe for a week I watched a lot of Celtic games.

“It was Paul McStay then Jorge Cadete and Pierre van Hooijdonk, Paolo Di Canio. I was like, ‘Man, this team’s actually pretty good’.

“It was a joke initially because where I’m from, it’s pretty distinct in terms of who people support. Dad had been one of the first few to sign up to the Lewis & Harris Rangers Supporters’ Club, which is now the largest Rangers supporters’ club in the world.

“A friend, John McInnes, runs it now. I didn’t get down to Celtic that much because I was playing on the weekends.

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“We weren’t poor but we didn’t really have the means to get down. It’s so far. You’ve got the boat journey. We certainly weren’t going to get a flight or anything like that.

“We’d sometimes go down to Glasgow and see family.

“When I started to be down in Glasgow with my brother, also Callum, I was living with him and I’d be able to snag a couple of tickets to games.

“Some of the games I saw were unbelievable. I saw Paolo Maldini, Andriy Shevchenko, a lot of Champions League games, Ronaldinho at Parkhead.

“Once I got to Parkhead, that atmosphere sucks you in. I don’t have time to follow them so much now but all of my mates and all my family are Rangers fans.

“I always know when the games are on and when the Old Firms are on. People aren’t shy in telling me if Rangers have won!”

As a kid Mackay also had stints with Ross County and Partick Thistle before quitting his dreams of making it as a midfielder.

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After completing a US scholarship, he spent six years in Florida working as an agent for Stellar before becoming assistant general manager at Nashville.

He oversaw the side’s arrival in MLS and signed Alistair Johnston.

Mackay is just gutted both of them will be absent when the sides clash at Audi Field in the Hoops’ opening friendly of their three-game glamour tour in the early hours of Sunday morning.

A personal issue means Mackay won’t be in town, while right-back AJ has time off after helping Canada finish fourth at the Copa America.

Mackay said: “The Celtic game was in the works by the time I joined DC. It’s funny because Ali sent me a text asking about the best places in DC.

“The front office hadn’t signed the contract for the game and hadn’t told me about it because it wasn’t fully executed. He was like, ‘We’re playing you guys!’. He’s a top lad and someone I spent a lot of time with in Nashville.

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“Having Celtic in the stadium I now work at and not being there is massively disappointing. I’m devastated.”

Mackay’s task is a big one. The side from the capital has regularly under-performed in recent seasons.

But he’s quickly made some big calls, with ex-New York Red Bulls boss Troy Lesesne appointed as head coach in January. Mackay said:

“Things had gone well at Nashville. We’d reached the Leagues Cup final, which was Lionel Messi’s debut in MLS.

“The final was in our own stadium. David and Victoria Beckham were there along with every celebrity associated with MLS. It was a cool moment.

“We lost the final but made the play-offs then DC reached out to my leadership in Nashville. It wasn’t something I’d thought about because I was having such a good time in Nashville. I was happy and so were my family.

“I had conversations with the owners then I decided it was something I had to do.

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“Once everything was signed we had so much work to do. Wayne Rooney had just left as head coach and there were a bunch of positions that weren’t filled.

“We’d the head coach search then went to pre-season in Saudi Arabia, where we played Steven Gerrard and Al-Ettifaq. Then home and into the season. It’s been a whirlwind.

“I’d been in America for a while. I like America. My wife’s American. My kids are American. So the goal was to become a GM in MLS.

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“From the very beginning, that was the dream job so it’s been really fulfilling that way.

“But it’s been a challenge too because DC hasn’t made the play-offs in five years and we’ve got lots to do.”

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