Tag: Weston McKennie

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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McKennie: Berhalter’s USMNT return means ‘picking up where we left off’

Per McKennie, Berhalter was impressed with what he saw while out of contract

Despite a very turbulent start to 2023, Weston McKennie says it’s just like old times for the U.S. men’s national team.

Gregg Berhalter, after the most convoluted head coaching search in the program’s history, has made his return, with this September international window marking his first USMNT camp since being re-hired.

Speaking from St. Louis ahead of the team’s Saturday friendly against Uzbekistan, McKennie explained that despite all the turmoil and confusion, things have stayed on track.

“We kind of picked up where we left off, and training and vibes and everything is as good as usual,” the Juventus midfielder told reporters on Thursday. “We were lucky enough that the two interim coaches that we had were with us the four years [before] as well, so we kind of didn’t have to really change that much. We all kind of have the same ideas. So I mean, having him back in, it’s good.”

‘That’s the culture that we built here’

It’s been a strange year for the USMNT. While a circus broke out surrounding Berhalter, Gio Reyna and his parents, and U.S. Soccer’s protracted search for a permanent head coach, the team played two very different CONCACAF tournaments under interim head coaches Anthony Hudson and B.J. Callaghan.

According to McKennie, the USMNT stuck with the same internal principles that had been established during Berhalter’s first term, giving an anecdote about how the returning head coach took note of that.

“We touched on it a little bit in camp as well,” said McKennie. “I think what’s most important, obviously, is realizing — and I know best myself — that there’s no one person that’s bigger than the program. There’s no one person bigger than the team.

“[Berhalter] touched upon that whenever he came back in, he said ‘it was amazing to be able to see that, even though I was gone, and whoever stepped in, to realize that the brotherhood was strong. To realize that you guys had the same values, have the same approach to the game — with just the intensity, the way that we fight, the way that we want to win games — that’s something, that’s the culture that we built here.'”

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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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The Americans Abroad Five: Pulisic takes Serie A by storm

It’s early, but €20 million is looking like a real bargain for the USMNT star

It’s extremely early, but some Chelsea fans are already starting to have some regrets over letting Christian Pulisic go.

You can’t totally blame them. Though it is, once again, very early, you can’t really do better than Pulisic’s start at AC Milan: two games, two star performances, two goals and two wins.

At €20 million, Pulisic is certainly looking like a true bargain in a market where, to pick one completely random example, a club in west London paid €100 million for an unproven winger from the Ukrainian league.

As Milan captain Davide Calabria put it: “This is the best environment for him — the squad, the fans and this stadium — in order to to steal the limelight again.”

So far, it’s hard to argue with Calabria. Let’s get to the Five.

The Americans Abroad Five: A fresh start for Brenden Aaronson

There are some early signs of positivity in Aaronson’s loan at Union Berlin

Last season was rough on Brenden Aaronson.

After a promising start with Leeds, the U.S. national team attacker faded badly down the stretch en route to an ugly outcome for both player and team.

For Aaronson? Just one goal and three assists in more than 2,300 league minutes. For Leeds? Relegation.

Though a season in the Championship could have had its benefits for the 22-year-old, the chance to join a Bundesliga side in the Champions League was clearly too good to pass up.

It’s obviously way too soon to judge Aaronson’s loan with Union Berlin, but there are at least some early signs of positivity. Let’s look at Aaronson’s Bundesliga debut to kick off the Five this week.

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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Reports: Juventus freeze McKennie out

Looks like there’s no future for McKennie in Turin

It looks like Juventus is ready to push Weston McKennie out the door.

Reports on Thursday said that Juve will effectively wash its hands of several players, and the U.S. men’s national team midfielder is among them.

Per Fabrizio Romano and Goal, the Italian power informed McKennie that he is no longer in their plans, and would be excluded from the club’s U.S. preseason tour.

According to an additional report from Football Italia, Juventus has gone as far as telling McKennie — along with longtime club captain Leonardo Bonucci, and possibly others yet to be named — to train away from the rest of the first team, effectively cutting off all face-to-face contact.

That leaves McKennie in limbo, though he may have already sensed that he’d be playing elsewhere in the 2023-24 season. The USMNT man had already left Juventus once this year, with Leeds bringing him in on a half-season loan back in January amid rumored interest from several Premier League teams.

McKennie’s next move unclear

Leeds reportedly spent €1.2 million on the initial loan, and held a purchase option worth as much as €33 million. However, after crumbling in the back half of the season, it was little surprise that the relegated club didn’t pony up that big fee.

Sadly for McKennie, it appears that Juventus spent the meantime finalizing a future that didn’t include the Texas native.

McKennie’s contract in Turin runs through the end of the 2025 season. That means that even though Juventus is apparently doing the soccer club equivalent of throwing his stuff out the window and telling him to get lost, they will probably be looking for a hefty transfer fee out of any club that shows interest in the all-action 24-year-old.

He may already have some solid options to choose from. Earlier in July, ESPN said that McKennie had held talks with Borussia Dortmund over a return to the Bundesliga, where he spent five years with Schalke. Per USMNT defender Tim Ream, Fulham had interest around the time Leeds signed him, while clubs like Aston Villa and Bournemouth were also said to have wanted to bolster their midfield by adding McKennie.

That potentially awkward move back to the Ruhr Valley may be the most prominent link at the moment, but it stands to reason that McKennie will have numerous offers coming his way in the next couple of weeks.

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McKennie, Dest suspended by CONCACAF after USMNT vs. Mexico Nations League brawl

CONCACAF took a dim view of the Nations League scuffle

CONCACAF would really rather not have wild brawls in its most high-profile matches.

That’s the takeaway after the confederation suspended players from the U.S. men’s national team and Mexico after a melee towards the end of the former’s 3-0 Nations League semifinal victory.

For the USMNT, Weston McKennie — whose red card was unsuccessfully appealed by U.S. Soccer — was given a three-game ban, while Sergiño Dest was handed a two-game suspension. El Tri, meanwhile, saw César Montes (three games) and Gerardo Arteaga (two games) receive similar punishments.

Per CONCACAF, all four suspended players served their automatic bans in Mexico’s victory over Panama in the Nations League’s third-place game and the USMNT’s 2-0 win over Canada in the competition’s final, respectively.

U.S. Soccer confirmed to Pro Soccer Wire that the suspensions can be served during the Gold Cup, regardless of the fact that McKennie and Dest are not on the roster for the tournament. That means both will be available when the Nations League returns this fall.

CONCACAF’s statement on the matter noted that both U.S. Soccer and the Mexican federation received fines for the general chaos involved in Las Vegas.

“Furthermore, the committee has imposed an undisclosed fine on both federations and warned them that more severe sanctions could be taken should incidents occur during their upcoming matches in CONCACAF national team competitions,” said the confederation’s statement announcing the disciplinary measures.

The USMNT’s victory came in a match that finished nine-on-nine, with tensions boiling over after Montes hauled off and kicked Folarin Balogun’s legs out from under him. Montes was given a straight red card even as the teams scuffled, while McKennie ended up with a badly torn jersey and (eventually) a red card of his own.

Dest and Arteaga, meanwhile, got their marching orders in the 85th minute after both got into a shoving match over a throw-in.

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