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. He earned a professional contract with National Soccer League club Newcastle United 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 title and the Scottish Challenge Cup in the 2004–05 season. McBreen spent 2005–06 with them in the Scottish Premier League before being released, when he joined League One club Scunthorpe United in 2006. He played sporadically in their 2006–07 League One title-winning season, and was loaned to Conference Premier club York City in 2007 before having a short spell with St Johnstone 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.