Tag: Juventus

Juventus took McKennie’s locker and parking spot away last summer, Berhalter says

Juventus wanted the USMNT midfielder out, but he worked his way back into the club’s good graces

Juventus really seemed to want Weston McKennie out last summer.

After the midfielder returned from an ill-fated loan at Leeds, he got a rather frosty welcome back to the Serie A giants.

Juventus reportedly told McKennie that he wasn’t in the club’s plans for the 2023-24 season. The American midfielder himself has said “I came back and I felt like nobody really cared.”

But that level of dismissal went one step further apparently. According to U.S. men’s national team head coach Gregg Berhalter, McKennie didn’t even have a place to park or change in Turin when he arrived for preseason.

“Weston was in a situation where he went back to Juventus after the summer and he didn’t have a locker and he didn’t have a parking spot,” Berhalter said on a conference call Wednesday after naming his Nations League roster.

But as we all know now, things turned around quickly for McKennie. First he earned his way into manager Max Allegri’s plans for the season, then he became a regular starter. Now, as the season enters its final months, McKennie is one of the first names on the teamsheet and reportedly nearing a contract extension.

Berhalter was full of praise for the 25-year-old, who is now second in the Serie A assist charts after a two-assist performance over the weekend.

“Most players would say ‘OK, I’m done. I’m leaving this club. It’s not for me,'” Berhalter said.

“And Weston said, ‘I’m going to dig and I’m going to prove that I belong.’ And he’s done not only that, but he’s proven to be one of the best players of Juventus this year and one of the top midfielders in all Serie A.

“So it shows his mentality, shows his growth as a person. And it shows that he’s able to take these obstacles and continue on and keep performing. And I think that’s a mark of a really good player.”

McKennie and Juventus have one more game before the international break, as they face Genoa on Sunday. The midfielder will then travel to Texas to meet up with his USMNT teammates ahead of a Nations League semifinal against Jamaica on Thursday.

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Juventus defender shows even pros forget how to play soccer sometimes

Juventus ended a day to forget with a memorable own goal

Federico Gatti ended a day to forget for Juventus with a memorable own goal.

The Bianconeri endured a rough afternoon on Saturday against Sassuolo, going down a goal on two different occasions before tying the game up. But Andrea Pinamonti’s 82nd-minute goal gave the home side a lead that it would not relinquish.

Up 3-2, Sassuolo went in search of an insurance goal, which arrived in stoppage time in sensational fashion.

Searching for a late equalizer, Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny took a quick free kick from near the touchline. This left his goal very notably wide open.

Despite being on the receiving end of Szczęsny’s pass, Gatti seemed to forget that very notable fact of his goal being unattended.

The result? Let’s go to the video.

The pros: they’re just like us sometimes!

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Juve boss Allegri: McKennie knock not a concern, Weah ‘settling in well’

Allegri says McKennie has a knock…but is fine?

Bad news: Weston McKennie picked up a knock in a recent Juventus training session.

Good news: It’s not actually going to keep him from playing.

Juve manager Massimiliano Allegri gave U.S. men’s national team fans a scare on Friday, telling reporters that the U.S. midfielder has a new, unspecified injury, but also that it is not actually a concern.

“McKennie is fine,” said Allegri, speaking ahead of the Bianconeri’s Serie A match at Sassuolo, when asked about the Texan’s status. “I’ll take a look at him today.”

Given McKennie’s injury history and his promising play since returning to Juventus, any reports of an issue — particularly an update as vague as this one — will be a worry for the USMNT until we see the 25-year-old playing without issues.

Allegri: Weah ‘settling in well’

That said, it’s theoretically possible that the issue could keep McKennie on the sideline for a week or so, just for cautionary measures. Who would likely step in? Another USMNT star, as Tim Weah has been splitting time with McKennie as the right wingback in Allegri’s 3-5-2 system.

In the same press conference, Allegri discussed Weah’s start to life in Turin following an €11 million summer move from Lille.

“Weah is a good option,” said Allegri. “He’s settling in well after just a few months in Italy but I’m happy with the way he’s integrating.”

McKennie and Weah have both appeared in each of Juve’s four Serie A matches this season, truly working as a platoon covering the club’s need at right wingback. Weah started the Bianconeri’s first two matches of the season, with McKennie replacing him late in each. In the more recent pair of games, that dynamic was flipped, with Weah coming in off the bench for McKennie in both.

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McKennie a major factor on all three Juventus goals in win over Lazio

Looks like McKennie knows how to win people over again

It wasn’t a bad day at the office for Weston McKennie.

The U.S. men’s national team midfielder may have once again been deployed as a right wingback, but made a huge difference anyway on Saturday in Juventus’ 3-1 win over Lazio.

In what was his 100th appearance for Juve, McKennie played a decisive role in all three of his side’s goals.

Just 10 minutes in, it was hard work from McKennie to keep a ball in play on the touchline, wriggle out of some pressure, and slip the ball inside. Two quick passes later, Dušan Vlahović smashed home the opening goal.

That strike survived a VAR check over whether the ball went out, but McKennie’s reaction proved to be just fast enough for the original call to stand.

Federico Chiesa made it 2-0, once again on an attack that stemmed from McKennie’s work on the right. This time, the USMNT man pulled wide early to stretch the field, then dipped inside to play a one-two with Fabio Miretti.

While Miretti’s return pass missed McKennie, it found Adrien Rabiot, who tapped the ball towards Chiesa for a powerful finish.

Luis Alberto would pull one back for Lazio in the 64th minute, but McKennie, Vlahović, and Juve closed the door just three minutes later.

With the visitors sending numbers up, Juventus broke up an attack, with the ball rolling out to McKennie in huge space on the wing. There were closer options, but McKennie uncorked a 60-or-so yard crossfield ball that met the Serbia striker in stride for what became Juve’s third.

The official assist marked McKennie’s first since a January Coppa Italia win over AC Monza, with the U.S. midfielder departing for an ill-fated loan to Leeds shortly thereafter.

McKennie admitted earlier this week that his Juve return meant proving himself all over again, and that appears to be exactly what he’s doing. McKennie has appeared in all four matches for the Serie A giants thus far, essentially platooning at the right wingback position with USMNT teammate Tim Weah.

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McKennie: Juventus return meant ‘starting from scratch’

“I felt like it’s what I needed, because it was like I was starting at square one again”

Weston McKennie’s return to Juventus currently seems to be going well enough, but heading back to Turin came with no guarantees.

The U.S. men’s national team midfielder opened up on Tim Ream’s The American Dream podcast, describing a rather frosty reception at Juve upon the end of his loan to Leeds.

“Whenever I came back, obviously in my head, I’m thinking ‘Okay, man up, do your job, you’re here for the team. What they need you to do, you’re gonna do,'” explained McKennie. “I won’t say that I wasn’t welcomed with open arms, but obviously, I understand where they’re coming from.”

McKennie’s temporary departure from Juventus resulted in an ultimately sour experience with Leeds. The USMNT regular also happened to depart Juve just as the club was handed a 15-point penalty in the Plusvalenza scandal. While Juventus eventually had that penalty reduced by five points, it was an awkward time to leave.

“You’re a starting player for one of the biggest clubs in the world, and you decide to leave [that] club at a time of crisis, you know?” said McKennie. “It’s pretty natural. I came back and I felt like nobody really cared.”

Asked by Ream if that included players, McKennie specified that the cold reception came from fans and the club itself, rather than teammates.

“I didn’t feel it from the players,” said McKennie. “[The] players — at a young age, especially — where you go, they become your second family. And that’s how it always was with my teammates.

“Obviously, fans, higher ups, you kind of — after that decision that I made and then came back, you have to win over everybody. You’re starting from scratch.”

McKennie explained his rationale for leaving one of Italy’s institutions for a side like Leeds, who at the time were mired in an ultimately unsuccessful relegation battle.

“Honestly, it was a bit weird, the situation,” said McKennie. “I left Juventus initially, in the beginning, because I was starting to play out of position. I was playing right wingback, like towards the last four or five games before I left for Leeds.

“I don’t want to be remembered as someone that’s good at many positions, I want to be remembered as someone that’s great at one. I want to be, if people are in talks like ‘who’s one of the best eights to play the game?’ I want to be someone that can come up in conversation. But if I’m playing other positions, like a jack of all trades, then it’s a bit difficult to try and say that still. And I want to master the position, that takes time.”

McKennie: Juve challenge ‘what I needed’

Having to regain a foothold at Juventus has not been a straightforward affair for McKennie. Reports swirled that the club was going to freeze him out in an effort to convince him to leave this summer, and transfer rumors pointed to a move elsewhere.

However, McKennie stuck it out, battling his way back into the mix under manager Max Allegri. He may not be playing his preferred position — McKennie has largely been rotating with USMNT teammate Tim Weah as a right wingback thus far in Serie A play — but the Texas native says he’s embracing the challenge of winning the club over again.

“I feel like that’s honestly what I needed at this time in my career,” reasoned McKennie. “I don’t care what any player says, there becomes a time in your career where you feel a little comfortable, and I felt like that that’s what happened to me.

“I came back, I felt like it’s what I needed, because it was like I was starting at square one again. And I felt like I needed to prove to people…that I can play here still. Prove to people that I can become a starter and make it [here], and that I deserve to play at this level, and I can. So it was kind of like another chip on my shoulder, like how I arrived. I think that’s whenever I thrive best is whenever I have a chip on my shoulder, and I feel like I have to prove something, not only to people, but to myself.”

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McKennie explains where things went wrong during Leeds loan

“One of my coaches, honestly I don’t think he even knew who I was”

Weston McKennie pointed to a host of factors to explain his disappointing loan spell at Leeds last season, including a lack of fitness, playing for three different coaches, and playing out of position.

McKennie joined Leeds in January on a six-month loan from Juventus. He was expected to help solidify the team’s midfield and contribute to securing its Premier League status.

But things went south quickly for the U.S. national team midfielder, who increasingly came in for criticism during a period that eventually saw the club relegated.

Now back at Juventus, McKennie appeared on Tim Ream’s The American Dream podcast and reflected on his time at Leeds. The first issue, per McKennie, was due to coming from Juventus, a club that often plays multiple games per week due to European and cup commitments.

Arriving at Leeds, the midfielder joined a team that was only playing in the Premier League after its FA Cup elimination in February.

“Honestly, I don’t think my physical fitness was the best because I was so used to being at Juventus and playing every three days,” McKennie explained.

“Game fitness is way different than training fitness for me,” he continued. “I become game fit by playing games. I can’t really replicate game fitness at training. You can try, you can do as much as you can to make it feel like a game, but I can’t do that playing one game a week. … I didn’t feel like I was in the best physical shape in terms of being able to last maybe a 90 minute game.”

Another problem according to McKennie was the fact he came to Leeds to play under fellow American Jesse Marsch, who was promptly sacked shortly after his arrival.

Marsch’s replacement Javi Gracia would also be sacked before the end of the season, with Sam Allardyce coaching the final four games of the campaign.

“I didn’t help that when I got there, I went there because of Jesse Marsch. And then two weeks after I got there he was sacked,” McKennie said. “I had four different managers in six months.”

(Photo by Harriet Lander/Getty Images)

He added: “One of my coaches, honestly I don’t think he even knew who I was. If a player is coming in on loan, you should know your squad. He put me outside the box for corner kicks. And in my head I’m like, ‘I’ve scored like 85% of my goals in my career off set pieces and crosses.'”

Finally, McKennie pointed to a March injury to his USMNT teammate Tyler Adams, which forced him to play deeper than he typically prefers.

“And then Tyler got injured, so it forced me to play the six role. I don’t see myself as a six, because I like to attack and defend and if you’re telling me like, ‘Just stay here, don’t go in the box,’ I’m not the best with that because I need to be free to exert my energy. So I think it just didn’t pan out the way I thought.”

McKennie would add that he didn’t regret the move, calling it a learning experience and complimenting the staff, players and fans at Leeds. The midfielder did admit, though, that the passion of the Leeds fans can cut both ways.

“They’re very vocal, but that can go either way,” he said. “They can be vocal for you or against you. And towards the end, it was very much against me.”

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Pogba suspended after testing positive for testosterone

The Juventus midfielder could face a ban of up to four years

Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba has been provisionally suspended after testing positive for testosterone.

NADO Italia, the country’s anti-doping agency, announced on Monday that Pogba failed a random test following Juventus’s 3-0 win over Udinese on August 20.

“In acceptance of the instance proposed by the national anti-doping prosecutor, it has provided for the provisional suspension of the athlete Paul Labile Pogba,” a NADO Italia statement read.

The agency added that it found “non-endogenous testosterone metabolites” in Pogba’s test, a violation of anti-doping rules.

Pogba could be suspended between two and four years if found guilty.

Juventus confirmed the suspension in a statement, saying it “reserves the right to consider the next procedural steps.”

The suspension is the latest blow in what has been a difficult return to Juventus for Pogba, who rejoined his former club on a free transfer in the summer of 2022.

The 30-year-old’s first season was almost entirely ruined by injuries, which also forced him to miss the World Cup with France.

Pogba has made two appearances off the bench so far this season for Juventus. After an appearance against Empoli prior to the international break, Pogba felt pain in his back and his manager Max Allegri said he would have to undergo tests to determine the severity.

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McKennie: I’ve changed some minds at Juventus

The midfielder is back in the mix after reports this summer that he was set to be shipped out

Weston McKennie believes he has changed some minds at Juventus after reports this summer that he was no longer in the club’s plans.

The U.S. men’s national team midfielder was reportedly set to be excluded from the club’s preseason tour of the United States, but ended up making the trip and showed well, earning another chance with the Serie A giants.

McKennie has played in all three of Juventus’s league games thus far and started one, as he’s slotted in at an unfamiliar right wingback role.

Speaking to reporters at USMNT camp on Thursday, McKennie said he felt as though he started from scratch this summer after returning from a difficult loan spell at Leeds.

“Things happen so fast,” he said. “Things can change within a day, things can change within a week. For me, my biggest challenge to myself was just to take care of my body and come back to preseason prepared, and not give anyone anything to talk about or try and bring up about me.”

“Coming back [to Juventus] I felt like I started back at square zero,” McKennie continued. “But it was a challenge I think I needed at this time in my career. I still have to prove to people that I’m still the player that I am, the player that they know I can be. So going into preseason in America I just wanted to put on good performances, which I think I did. I think it helped change the minds of some people. So we’ll see where it goes from here.”

McKennie subbed into Juve’s first two games in place of his USMNT teammate Tim Weah, who has been the club’s starting right wingback in the early going. In the team’s third game, McKennie started at right wingback and was replaced by Weah.

McKennie, sitting next to Weah, pointed to his teammate for club and country and said: “You’re looking at starting right wingback and backup right wingback right now,” before touching on the pair’s differing roles for Juventus and the USMNT.

“Here I’m seen as a No. 8 and Timmy is seen as a winger and club team, [Weah is] right wingback and [I’m] right wingback-slash-midfielder,” McKennie said.

“With us being able to play so many different positions and being able to adapt to so many situations and roles, I think it’s a good quality to have. I don’t think that we really stress that much about it. We both love one thing that I know for sure, [that] is to win.”

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Weah’s first Juventus goal assisted by suddenly rejuvenated McKennie

Juventus may feature two USMNT players this season after all

Timothy Weah is off the mark for Juventus, and his first goal for the club was assisted by a familiar figure.

Weah and his U.S. national team compatriot Weston McKennie teamed up for Juve’s second goal in a 3-1 preseason win over Real Madrid on Wednesday.

The two players combined in the 20th minute at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, with McKennie taking a pass from Federico Chiesa into the box before cutting the ball across for Weah, who was left with a simple finish in front of goal.

It was Weah’s first goal for Juventus, which he joined this summer from Lille in a move that could be worth upwards of €13 million.

McKennie’s involvement in the goal was notable not just for the connection with his USMNT teammate, but also because the Texan appears to be back in the mix for Juventus after he was reportedly frozen out just last month.

Multiple reports in July stated that the 24-year-old — who spent the second half of last season on loan at Leeds — was set to be excluded from the club’s U.S. preseason tour as Juventus looked to sell him as quickly as possible.

McKennie was, of course, very much not excluded from the club’s preseason tour of the U.S., as he started two of the three games. Juventus has now reportedly had a change of heart on the midfielder, with the club open to him staying.

After McKennie was named man of the match against Real Madrid, Juventus head coach Massimiliano Allegri had praise for both of his American players.

“McKennie had a good game today and I’m very happy,” the coach said. “Weah was a bit more tired, but he is a guy who has good qualities and will be very useful for the team.”

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Barcelona hit by virus, calls off preseason friendly vs. Juventus

Barça is too sick to play Juve at Levi’s Stadium

Barcelona won’t be playing Juventus on Saturday after all.

The Catalan club announced that it was calling off a scheduled friendly against the Serie A power after a virus left too many members of the Barça squad too sick to play.

“FC Barcelona hereby informs that the game against Juventus FC, scheduled for today, July 22 at 7:30 PM at Levi’s Stadium, as part of the Soccer Champions Tour, has been canceled,” read a club statement announcing the news. “A significant part of the blaugrana squad has a viral gastroenteritis.”

ESPN followed the announcement with a report that 14 Barcelona players are suffering from the virus.

“Today when we wake up, the doctor told us the majority of our players [presented] a symptom of gastroenteritis,” club president Joan Laporta said in a video Barça posted on social media. “Unfortunately, it is most of our players… It’s very tough for the supporters, because at the same time we were wishing to see our team play against Juventus.”

Laporta added that the club’s preseason schedule doesn’t have room to allow for rescheduling the game. Barcelona still has preseason friendlies against Arsenal, Real Madrid, and AC Milan to play during their U.S. tour before heading back for the Joan Gamper Trophy friendly against Tottenham on August 8, their final preparation match during this preseason.

Barcelona will begin their defense of last year’s La Liga title on August 13, when they host Getafe.

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