Weston McKennie’s performance and future

Weston McKennie is one of the brightest young stars in North American soccer. The 24-year-old midfielder from Fort Lewis, Washington, is widely considered a grand promise for the region due to his versatility and prowess on the pitch.

McKennie’s ability to play various roles has been an enormous asset for both club and country. He has played in central midfield, defensive midfield, right back, center back, and even attacking midfield, showcasing his skill set across multiple positions. Many coaches have praised his passing range, technical ability, and overall vision over recent years.

Beginning of his career

McKennie began his senior club career at Bundesliga side Schalke 04. In 2017-18, he established himself as a first-team player, playing 25 games in all competitions. He played for the youth system of Major League Soccer side FC Dallas for seven years from 2009 to 2016, before moving to Schalke.

After three seasons in Germany, McKennie moved to Italian champions Juventus on loan, with the deal becoming permanent in March 2021.

First USA player at Juventus

On September 20, 2020, McKennie made his league debut for Juventus and became the first USA player to play for the club and the fifth in Serie A history.

On November 1, McKennie got on the score sheet for the first time for Juventus, earning an assist on the opening goal by Álvaro Morata in a 4-1 win against Spezia.

So far, the player has made 60 appearances in all competitions and has scored eight goals. But his performance has not been as expected, and in 2022 he has received harsh criticism, especially from fans.

Criticized for his performance

In September 2022, McKennie started in the match that pitted the ‘Vecchia Signora’ against Fiorentina (1-1). Despite having a good performance, a small sector of the ‘Bianconeri’ fans harshly criticized the American.

The criticism was mainly given through social networks, and fans were very upset that McKennie missed a clear opportunity to score the winning goal.

After an assist from Ángel Di María, McKennie was left entirely alone, facing the goal defended by Pietro Terracciano. Still, the player hesitated and did not shoot a goal, and he gave a pass to the center for Manuel Locatelli. However, the defense of Fiorentina’s men were able to intercept the play.

Even though his teammates were upset with McKennie, the player completed 90 minutes, registered 89% of his passes, had 4/4 long balls, 1/2 dribbles, won 3/5 grass-level duels, three clearances, one tackle, and received one foul.

A World Cup that raised his confidence

McKennie completed an excellent participation in the World Cup; the player stated that the tournament raised his confidence in himself and in the USA team.

“We were unlucky, we had a couple of chances that could have ended up inside, but obviously, we’re not going to blame anyone. Christian (Pulisic) has done very important things for his country and soccer.

We know that it is a collective issue and we have to support each other, we had a common goal for four years, and this tournament restored our idea of believing, it restored much of what we expect and the respect we generate for our country.

We are definitely on our way; I think we showed that we can compete with the best teams. We earn respect for US Soccer by the way we play. It is something that we wanted to demonstrate in the World Cup,” said the player and added.

“We had a good group stage; obviously, the Netherlands was going to be difficult. It is what it is; we have to learn from this experience. America’s mindset is never to give up, America is the land of opportunity, and I think we did very well. We are out, that sucks, but at the same time, we recognize the work done.”

In general, the USA team had an excellent performance in the World Cup, and many took advantage of the sportsbook promos  to place bets on the Stars and Stripes team. Many of these promos are still valid and you can take advantage of them today.

Massimiliano Allegri has no plans for the player

Even though the player has had a good performance, Massimiliano Allegri has no plans for him, since he believes that the American has not adapted well to Juventus’ style of play.

In addition, Adrien Rabiot and Paul Pogba are first on the Italian coach’s pecking order so McKennie would be on the sale list for the winter market.

Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, and Tottenham would be interested in making an offer for the player, whose price is estimated between 20 and 25 million dollars.

However, the high salary and bonus benefits that the player has with Juventus could complicate the transfer to a new club.

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