Weston McKennie is a staple in the United States men’s national team nowadays, but soccer wasn’t always his preferred sport.
The 26-year-old midfielder started playing football in Texas at an early age. Then, his family moved to Germany due to his father’s job in the military.
“I couldn’t find a league or anything that had American football for my age group at that time, so I picked up soccer,” McKennie revealed to bundesliga.com.
Three years later, the McKennie family returned to Texas, where they supported Weston’s passion for both sports. Yet, he eventually chose soccer and developed in the FC Dallas academy.
Little did he know that his future would be away from home, albeit in a very familiar place.
German club Schalke 04 followed his growth and signed him in 2016. McKennie could’ve stayed in the States, but the chance of going to Europe at such a pivotal age for a soccer player was too good to pass up.
“I made the right decision and I don’t regret it at all,” he said. “It wasn’t easy for me to let go of FC Dallas. But you’ve got to think, ‘Will I look back in 10 years and wish I could’ve gone over to Europe?’”
Big Mac, as legendary goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon calls him, debuted with the first team at 18 years old and had 91 appearances in four seasons. He scored in his debut with the USMNT during that period, too.
In summer 2020, McKennie became the first American to join Juventus FC, one of the biggest clubs in the world. Not many Americans can say they’ve shared a locker room with stars of the caliber of Cristiano Ronaldo and Giorgio Chiellini. McKennie fitted right in, though.
In his first season in Italy, he won two trophies, played in 34 out of the 38 league matches, and scored five Serie A goals. Two of them came in big games versus a couple of Juventus’ bitter rivals, Torino and AC Milan. McKennie also scored one against FC Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League, the most prestigious competition at the club level.
“Not many people had belief in me, not many people knew who I was,” McKennie stated after his 100th game with the club. “Everyone knows Juventus, everyone knows the players that have come before, the players that were here at that time.”
However, the next two seasons were harder for McKennie. A few injuries and inconsistent performances resulted in a loan move to Leeds United in January of 2023, which seemed to favor all parties involved.
McKennie’s tenure in the Premier League was subpar, and he faced considerable animosity from the fans by the end of that season. Leeds United was relegated and did not trigger the buy option clause for him, thus sending the player back to Juventus.
“My time at Leeds was probably one of my lower points, if not the lowest in my professional career,” McKennie said in an interview with The Athletic.
The situation did not get better when he returned to Italy, as Juventus’ management still wanted to sell him and had taken his locker and parking spot away.
Despite the hostile environment, he decided to fight for a place in the team and didn’t entertain another move away from the Italian giants too much. This decision has proven to be one of the turning points in his career.
In the 2023/24 campaign, he became one of Juventus’ most improved and reliable pieces. McKennie took part in 34 Serie A matches once again and provided a career-high seven assists in said competition. He also started in the Coppa Italia final when Juventus won their first title in three years.
“It allows me to go back to what I do best, and that’s put my head down and work, and prove people wrong. That’s what I enjoy doing,” McKennie told CBS Sports.
Although he had earned head coach Massimiliano Allegri’s trust, Juventus replaced Allegri with Thiago Motta. McKennie went back to square one and, with only one season left in his deal, was offered to Aston Villa during last summer’s transfer window, according to reports.
The negotiations to extend his stay in Turin weren’t progressing at first, but history repeated itself.
The Texas native refused to leave, found an agreement with the club to renew his contract for one more year, and has become a permanent starter under Motta as well.
“It’s impossible to leave him on the bench,” Motta said. “He’s such a special player.”
McKennie has even captained Juventus in key matches this year, such as their latest clash against rivals Inter Milan. This milestone appeared almost impossible for an American to achieve a few years ago.
According to a report in IlBiancoNero.com, Juventus is working with McKennie’s entourage to build the foundation for another contract extension.
McKennie’s journey has helped open doors for other Americans to follow suit. For instance, now Timothy Weah is his teammate in both the national team and Juventus.
After a difficult first season, Weah hit his stride this year, playing in seven different positions so far and scoring six goals in all competitions. His assist to McKennie versus Manchester City in the Champions League marked the first time a U.S. international assisted another U.S. international in that tournament.
Therefore, McKennie and Weah have been a couple bright spots in a tumultuous season for Juventus. In fact, they both scored in the two-legged tie against PSV that saw Juventus crash out of the Champions League.
“Weston McKennie is exceptional, full of energy, always dancing—the funniest guy in the locker room,” said Manuel Locatelli, Juventus’ first captain. “Weah is different but just as great.”
Christian Pulisic is another pioneer, given he debuted with an important team like Borussia Dortmund at 17 years old and won the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021. The 26-year-old winger is now leading AC Milan in Serie A and Champions League goals this season with nine and four, respectively.
Even though other Americans played in the Italian league before, the current generation is reaching new heights. According to ESPN, the possibility of a Serie A match being played in the States is closer than ever.
“This is a market that we count on a lot. We have nine clubs under American ownership and one Canadian, so I also need to thank them since they elected me,” Italian league president Ezio Simonelli said.
With most of the USMNT starting lineup playing all over Europe, the FIFA World Cup hosted by the United States in 2026 represents a unique opportunity to build upon the team’s success in CONCACAF and make history.
New head coach Mauricio Pochettino, who has been to a Champions League final and competed in the Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur, discussed what this means for soccer in the United States.
“Together, we need to build that confidence and trust that we can arrive in two years and be really competitive and to feel proud about a sport that maybe [wasn’t born] here but starts to belong here,” Pochettino stated.
