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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USMNT captain Tyler Adams completes transfer to Bournemouth

Adams is heading back to the Premier League after one season with Leeds

Tyler Adams is heading back to the Premier League.

The midfielder has completed a transfer to Bournemouth, joining from Leeds in a move worth a reported £20 million ($25.4m).

Adams has signed a five-year contract and will wear the No. 18 with the Cherries.

Adams impressed in just one season with Leeds, though the club was relegated at the end of the 2022-23 campaign. The 24-year-old missed the last two months of the season with a hamstring injury that is still set to keep him out until after the September international break.

Bournemouth’s chief executive, Neill Blake, said: “We’re thrilled to have brought Tyler to the club and he is a player we’ve admired for a long time. It’s been widely documented how much his talents have been recognized in this transfer window by other clubs, so to have him sign for AFC Bournemouth shows the ambition we have as a club.

“Tyler is an exciting player who possesses plenty of experience for someone that is just 24 years of age and we’re looking forward to working with him as he’s a player we know will be a great addition to our squad.”

Adams very nearly joined Chelsea just a week prior to his move to Bournemouth, but his transfer fell through at the last minute as the Blues ultimately signed Moisés Caicedo and Roméo Lavia in central midfield instead.

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It looks like Tyler Adams is getting his Premier League transfer after all

The USMNT captain is on the verge of a move to Bournemouth

Tyler Adams may not be going to Chelsea, but it looks like he’ll at least be heading back to the Premier League.

After a move from Leeds to Chelsea fell through at the 11th hour last week, Adams is set to complete a £23 million transfer to Bournemouth, according to multiple reports.

The transfer would see the U.S. men’s national team captain stay in the Premier League following Leeds’ relegation last season.

At a news conference on Friday, Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola was careful not to confirm a deal was done, but strongly hinted that it was nearing completion.

“Right now he’s not our player so we have to wait,” Iraola said. “You know the club is working towards signing someone in midfield but we have to wait until everything is complete.”

Iraola added: “He’s a really good player. He has performed in the Champions League, [has] national team experience, but I don’t want to go too far because right now he’s not our player.”

Should Adams join this month, he wouldn’t be able to debut for the Cherries for at least a couple weeks. Leeds head coach Daniel Farke said last month an ongoing hamstring injury would keep the midfielder out until after the September international break.

The move would also mean the last of a formerly robust quantity of Americans has left Leeds. At one point last season there were five at the club: head coach Jesse Marsch, assistant Chris Armas, as well as Adams, Brenden Aaronson and Weston McKennie on the playing side.

Marsch and Armas were let go midway through last season, while Aaronson has gone on loan to Union Berlin and McKennie has returned to Juventus after being on loan at Elland Road last season.

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Reports: Chelsea casts Adams aside amid Caicedo pursuit 

It appears USMNT captain won’t be heading to Stamford Bridge after all

Tyler Adams isn’t going to be joining Chelsea after all.

Widespread reports on Thursday said that Chelsea would be activating a $25.5 million clause in Adams’ contract to bring the U.S. men’s national team captain in from Leeds.

But the following day, Sky Sports News reported that the deal was off at the last minute, with other outlets subsequently confirming the news.

The 24-year-old had already traveled to London and completed a medical but by Friday afternoon, he was on his way back to Leeds.

The issue, it seems, stems from the seemingly never-ending saga of Brighton’s Moisés Caicedo, who has been involved in a tug-of-war between Chelsea and Liverpool for his signature.

Liverpool looked to have won the race, with manager Jurgen Klopp even confirming on Friday that an agreement between the two clubs had been reached for the Ecuador midfielder.

Typically if a manager is ready to publicly confirm that a deal has been struck, that’s just about the end of the story. But this soap opera appears to have a few more twists — and Adams looks like he’ll be collateral damage.

The Guardian said that even after Liverpool saw a $140 million offer accepted by Brighton, Chelsea was still trying to hijack the move at the last minute by bidding even more. That, in turn, has seen the Blues turn their focus away from Adams.

Where that leaves the USMNT captain now is unclear.

Adams has been subject to plenty of Premier League interest following Leeds’ relegation last season, and he still has almost three weeks to find a new club before the transfer window closes.

If Adams does find a transfer, he’ll join his new club not fully fit. Sidelined since March with a hamstring injury, Leeds head coach Daniel Farke said last month he didn’t expect the midfielder back until after the September international break.

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Leeds boss Farke: Adams will be out past September FIFA break

The USMNT midfielder looks set to be out at least another two months

Leeds head coach Daniel Farke has said he expects Tyler Adams to be sidelined through September’s international break due to a hamstring injury.

Adams did not feature for Leeds in the final two months of the Premier League season after he underwent hamstring surgery in March.

Leeds was already struggling, but losing Adams was a huge blow as the club was ultimately relegated to the Championship.

Adams also missed out on U.S. national team duty this summer, as the team still managed to easily win the CONCACAF Nations League without its captain.

Speaking to the media on Saturday after his side lost to Monaco in a preseason friendly, Farke said he expected the USMNT captain, along with winger Jack Harrison, to be out through mid-September.

“Jack Harrison and Tyler Adams are still on their way back because they are still doing their rehab so they will definitely miss the start of the season and they will definitely miss also [the] next weeks,” said Farke. “It will last a few weeks, it’s a bit too early to judge.

“I expect them perhaps to be back after the first international break, but it will last a while so they have to work on the rehab. Jack Harrison and Tyler Adams, top-class players, top characters, are so important for us. It’s not easy for us to start without them, but that’s reality.”

The USMNT will host Uzbekistan on September 9 before taking on Oman three days later in September’s FIFA window. Should Adams return after those matches, he would have missed six months of action.

The injury could also impact Adams’ transfer future. The 24-year-old has been linked with several Premier League teams recently, including Aston Villa and Brighton.

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NBA star Russell Westbrook joins Leeds ownership group

The Los Angeles Clippers guard joins golf stars Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas

NBA star Russell Westbrook is the latest member of an increasingly star-studded Leeds United ownership group.

Just days after Jordan Spieth confirmed that he and fellow pro golfer Justin Thomas are now involved with the Championship club, Westbrook announced that he was following suit.

“I was lucky enough to have conversations with some of the partners in this deal who already have ownership, the 49ers,” Westbrook said at a sports and entertainment summit held by Sportico.

“So I was lucky enough to talk through that with friends, talking with my business partner as well about different things and having conversations, figuring out if this was the right deal and how we could make it different.”

Following relegation from the Premier League last season, Leeds was taken over by 49ers Enterprises, the investment arm of the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers.

Westbrook, 34, is a nine-time NBA All-Star and currently plays for the Los Angeles Clippers — the fifth team of his career.

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‘It’s done’ – Spieth confirms he and Thomas are Leeds minority owners

“The 49ers beat my Cowboys every year, so if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em!”

Jordan Spieth has confirmed that he and fellow golf star Justin Thomas have completed a deal to become minority owners in Leeds United.

Spieth added that Rickie Fowler, who confirmed the trio’s interest in the Championship club last month, has pulled out of the deal.

Following its relegation from the Premier League, Leeds was taken over by 49ers Enterprises, the investment arm of the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers.

Spieth said that although he’d prefer to be getting involved with a Premier League team, he’s confident that the 49ers group has the ability to succeed in its stewardship of Leeds.

“Relegation wasn’t ideal, but we got involved with the 49ers group about purchasing a larger share and getting in with them doing things so successfully as they do everywhere they’ve touched,” Spieth told Sky Sports News.

“We thought it would be a cool opportunity. It’s a big city, historic club, great venue in Elland Road, and once we looked into it we realized it could be really exciting.

“They (the 49ers) renegotiated after relegation and it was possibly a better deal — as long as they can get promoted soon.

Aaronson joins Union Berlin on season-long loan from Leeds

The 22-year-old will go from the Championship to the Champions League

Brenden Aaronson has joined Union Berlin on loan from Leeds until the end of the 2023-24 season.

Sky Germany reported that the deal does not include a purchase option.

Aaronson departs one year after joining Leeds from Red Bull Salzburg in a $30 million transfer. He was heavily involved in his first Premier League season, appearing in 36 of the club’s 38 league games while starting 28 times.

The 22-year-old started the season strong but struggled as the campaign wore on, finishing with just one goal and three assists as Leeds was ultimately relegated from the Premier League.

He will now get a fresh start in the Bundesliga with Union, which surprisingly finished fourth last season to qualify for the Champions League.

“Union’s path and the success of the last few years did not go unnoticed in either the USA, Austria or England,” Aaronson told the club’s website.

“Somehow, you always heard something about them. A year ago, I wouldn’t have believed that I would be here and able to play in the Champions League with Union. I’m looking forward to the year ahead with joy and confidence and want to help us have another successful season.”

Aaronson will join his sometimes USMNT teammate Jordan Pefok at Union, and will also reunite in the Bundesliga with his younger brother Paxten, who plays for Eintracht Frankfurt.

“Brenden’s commitment has made us very happy, he is a type of player we don’t have who will be good for our attacking game. Despite his young age, he already has a lot of international experience and will complement our squad at a high level,” said Oliver Ruhnert, Union’s managing director of men’s professional football.

Aaronson has 32 caps for the USMNT, appearing in all four of the team’s 2022 World Cup matches off the bench.

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The Americans Abroad Five season review: The best and worst of 2022-23

Some teams were fun, some very much weren’t. Some players broke out, while others broke down

With the European club season in the rear-view mirror, it’s time to take stock of the year that was for Americans Abroad.

In many ways, 2022-23 felt like a preamble, a precursor to a much more significant club season to come. For the future of the U.S. men’s national team, what comes next will be more significant than what came before.

That’s because so many vital USMNT players are unsettled due to the nature of their 2022-23 campaign — some are ready to move up the food chain due to standout seasons, while others need a change of scenery for less positive reasons.

Before we turn the page to next season, let’s take a look back by handing out a few accolades for some notable Americans Abroad.

Tyler Adams to Leeds fans: All we can say as players is we’re sorry

The USMNT captain’s absence was a major blow in his side’s eventual relegation

Tyler Adams has apologized to Leeds fans after the club was relegated from the Premier League on the final day of the season.

Leeds lost 4-1 to Tottenham at Elland Road on Sunday, confirming they will be playing in the Championship next season.

Adams did not feature for Leeds in the final two months of the season after he underwent hamstring surgery in March. The U.S. national team captain was a fixture for Leeds prior to the injury, and his absence left a huge void in the center of the park.

Leeds suffered mightily without Adams. With the American in the lineup, the club conceded 1.44 goals per game. Without him, that number ballooned up to 3 goals per game.

After taking a couple days to reflect, Adams issued an apology on Twitter.

“It’s not just been a tough few days reflecting on what happened, it’s been a tough couple of months having to watch from the sidelines and be unable to help my team, teammates and you guys, the fans, to keep us in the Premier League,” Adams wrote.

“All we can say as players is we’re sorry. You guys have been incredible all season and deserved more.”

Adams joined Leeds from RB Leipzig prior to the season, and his stay at Elland Road looks likely to be a short one.

Multiple reports have stated the USMNT captain has transfer interest from England and beyond, having proven himself a high-level Premier League holding midfielder in 2022-23.

90min reported this week that Liverpool, Manchester United, Newcastle and Tottenham are among the teams tracking the 24-year-old.

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