Weston McKennie

Weston McKennie joins Leeds: Is this a good move for the USMNT star?

By Feb 1, 2023, 1:45 PM EST
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USMNT star Weston McKennie has signed for Leeds United from Juventus.

“Leeds United States of America” continues to grow with McKennie to join fellow Americans Tyler Adams and Brenden Aaronson playing for Jesse Marsch and newly-appointed assistant Chris Armas.

Who will be next to turn up at Elland Road, Christian Pulisic?

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Juventus boss Max Allegri confirmed that Juventus and Leeds have completed the deal and that the USMNT midfielder will not be available to play for the Italian giants against Monza on Sunday.

“There’s an agreement ready between clubs to sell McKennie. He won’t be available tomorrow,” Allegri said.

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Would a move to Leeds be a good fit for Weston McKennie?

Stylistically the Premier League is a great fit for Weston McKennie and Leeds are probably one of the best teams he could move to.

He loves to fly into tackles and drive forward from midfield and playing just in front of Tyler Adams and Marc Roca or to the right of them would be a perfect spot for him at Leeds.

It would give Leeds more control of games and the Yorkshire club also play to his strengths. it’s a really good fit.

McKennie has struggled to have a big impact at Juve this season as injuries have taken their toll on him over the last few years. That would perhaps be the one concern about his move to the Premier League, as McKennie seems to pick up quite a few knocks.

However, looking at his stats below from this season at Juventus, the chances he creates per game and the shots per game will improve and his accurate passing will help Leeds become less susceptible on the counter.

McKennie is a player who rattles into tackles, feeds off the energy of his fans and his mentality is perfect for the aggressive side Jesse Marsch has created at Leeds.

The Texas born midfielder has always wanted to play in the Premier League and he’s got his wish at a club where he will play week in, week out and one which suits his style of play perfectly.

Weston McKennie
Graphic via FotMob.com

Weston McKennie sets up Moise Kean goal for Juventus in Coppa Italia quarterfinals

By Jan 19, 2023, 4:22 PM EST
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The Coppa Italia quarterfinal round has seen USMNT star Weston McKennie pick up an assist as Juventus continues its upward climb with a cup match against Monza (although the visitors did level before halftime).

It’s a brilliant cross from Juventus right wingback — as if the Yanks needed more options at that spot — as Kean makes it look oh-so-easy by nodding it home to give The Old Lady a 1-0 lead.

McKennie is back at full fitness, going 90 minutes twice in six days last week, and now has his first goal contribution since he scored against Empoli and Benfica in consecutive matches on Oct. 21 and 25.

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A report earlier this week said that McKennie had turned down a move to Aston Villa in the hopes of finding a home with a current European competitor like Tottenham, Chelsea, or Borussia Dortmund. That report said Max Allegri will not have much time for McKennie once Paul Pogba returns from injury (short-sighted given the injury history around Turin, but we digress).

McKennie, 24, now has 95 appearances with 13 goals and five assists during his time at Juventus, and that’s four more matches than he played coming up at Schalke. Time flies (and appearances accumulate faster for clubs in European tournaments).

Where do you want to see McKennie next? The USMNT has 41 caps at a tender age and whoever’s coaching the USMNT will want to see him playing as much as growing in the near future.

USMNT transfer news: Pulisic, McKennie, Musah all in demand

By Dec 12, 2022, 8:30 PM EST
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Following the USMNT’s run to the round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup, the names Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Yunus Musah are circulating through the transfer rumor mill as European leagues prepare to resume play in two weeks’ time.

[ VIDEO: Jesse Marsch discusses life at Leeds, USMNT with Tim Howard ]

The three young Americans found themselves in interesting club situations ahead of the tournament in Qatar, and strong showings from each has only served to re-ignite interest from major clubs all across Europe.

The upcoming January transfer window is shaping up to be a hugely active period of players signings and sales, as it tends to be immediately following a World Cup. Only this time, it’s happening in the middle of the season, and it could prove the right time for USMNT faces to land in new places.

Pulisic has grown more and more frustrated over his lack of player time at Chelsea, first under Thomas Tuchel and then under Graham Potter; McKennie is always linked with moves away from Juventus, a club well known for its frequent wheelings and dealings; and Musah finds himself in his third season as a regular starter, at the age of 19 (he turned 20 during the World Cup), for Valencia, a club still digging its way out of crippling debt.

Newcastle still interested in Christian Pulisic

Newcastle’s interest in Pulisic dates back to summer and fall earlier this year, when the Magpies acquired four new starters for a combined $151 million. At the time, Chelsea preferred to hold onto the USMNT star not only for depth purposes, but also (perhaps) because they believed a strong showing at the World Cup would boost his transfer value come January.

With just 18 months left on his current contract, Pulisic can reportedly be had for $49 million, though Newcastle will surely try to negotiate that number down. According to various reports out of the UK, the Magpies’ interest in Pulisic remains strong as they are expected to make a bid in the coming days or weeks.

Pulisic, 24, has started just three of 14 Premier League games for Chelsea this season (once in the Champions League), though he has come off the bench on 10 more occasions (three in UCL).

[ MORE: Premier League schedule | World Cup schedule ]

Chelsea, Tottenham back in for Weston McKennie

Chelsea and Tottenham have long been linked McKennie, even before he moved to Juventus in the summer of 2020, and both clubs have needs in central midfield.

McKennie would be a good fit at Chelsea, where Potter often makes noticeable tactical changes from one game to the next based on opponent, demanding a high soccer I.Q. and loads of positional versatility. Potter’s system is all about movement — the ball and the people — requiring players to operate on all three levels of midfield in various setups. Two and a half years in the very tactical Serie A would likely accelerate this USMNT star’s learning curve relative to other options abroad.

Meanwhile, Tottenham can always use a midfielder who likes to push forward into the final third and add a few goals from someone other than Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski. Rodrigo Bentancur and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg have chipped in four and three goals, respectively, for Antonio Conte’s side. Yves Bissouma was signed from Brighton for $30 million this summer, and though he has started just six of 15 PL games, his minutes saw a significant upswing before the World Cup break (four starts in the final month).

Arsenal a logical landing spot for Yunus Musah

There were reports out of the UK that Arsenal recently had a bid for Musah rejected, as they reportedly try to bring back a player who left the club’s academy at the age of 16 in 2019.

Musah’s contract at Valencia contains a $105-million release clause, though the club’s ongoing financial woes could see them settle for a far more reasonable fee somewhere in the ballpark of $25 million. At that price, there’s not a Premier League side that shouldn’t be submitting their formal bid right this moment.

Musah has more raw talent than any midfield (and maybe player) to ever grace the USMNT player pool. From a national team perspective, letting him continue his development at a club that churns out brilliant attacking midfielders would be a welcome development.

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Weston McKennie joins De la Torre with pre-World Cup injuries for USMNT

By Oct 30, 2022, 12:21 PM EDT
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USMNT fans can add Weston McKennie’s status to their list of concerns for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

McKennie will miss at least two weeks, according to reports, after suffering an injury before halftime of Juventus’ 1-0 win over Lecce on Saturday.

It’s a significant short-term issue for Juve, who has not sealed its spot in the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds and faces Inter Milan in Serie A play next weekend.

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But it’s a much bigger concern for Gregg Berhalter and the USMNT, who is also monitoring an injury to would-be deputy Luca de la Torre ahead of next month’s tournament. Celta Vigo’s de la Torre reportedly could miss three weeks.

Tyler Adams and Yunus Musah, knock on wood, are healthy, but absences for McKennie and/or De la Torre could open increased playing time doors for Kellyn Acosta, Cristian Roldan, Johnny Cardoso, Malik Tillman, Gianluca Busio, and others.

The Yanks do have strong options at attacking central midfield, where Brenden Aaronson, Giovanni Reyna, or Christian Pulisic could function with two more defensively-active mids.

McKennie has logged over 1,000 minutes for Juve this season, scoring three goals and adding an assist. The 34-times capped USMNT midfielder is a regular starter when healthy for club and country.

Who would you use in the midfield if McKennie can’t go?

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USMNT, European review: Pefok scores for leaders Union Berlin; McKennie’s Juve lose

By Sep 19, 2022, 2:41 PM EDT
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This was a heck of a weekend in European football, and the USMNT players abroad played their parts well.

Also a heck of a weekend for Borussias (Borussium? Plural police?), but that’s nothing compared to the vibes in Berlin.

Union Berlin remains first in the Bundesliga as USMNT man Jordan Pefok continues his dynamic duo with Sheraldo Becker.

Borussia Dortmund won a derby and sits first after Bayern Munich suffered a surprise loss.

Borussia Monchengladbach thumped RB Leipzig to move back within shouting distance of the top of the table.

[ MORE: Premier League hub -> Fixtures, results, highlights ]

Over in La Liga, Robert Lewandowski proved his shooting boots are still fine while the latest Barcelona teen to raise eyebrows picked up two assists.

Serie A saw another loss for Juventus, whose last season swoon might’ve been a harbinger of what’s to come for Weston McKennie and Co.

And Ricardo Pepi had a little more pep in his step after being called up to USMNT camp and bagged his first Eredivisie goal.

Read on!

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Bundesliga: USMNT youngsters play roles in major wins; Bayern loses

Giovanni Reyna in a Revierderby. Joe Scally In a top-four tilt (most years) versus RB Leipzig. Jordan Pefok (Siebatcheu) keeeping Union Berlin in first!!!!!?!?!?!?!111

Oooh, this is why we like our best and brightest sliding into historic club.

Reyna again had to come off the bench for injured Marco Reus, the latter part being a disheartening trend and a possibly World Cup-ending injury for the BVB bright light, but Borussia Dortmund won the first Revierderby in a few seasons by a 1-0 score at home to Schalke.

Reyna entered in the 32nd minute and went 52 minutes before Thorgan Hazard brought a more veteran presence to the field with BVB in the lead with six minutes to play at the Westfalenstadion.

He finished with a key passes, two completed dribbles, and two shots (neither was on target).

As for Scally, Borussia Monchengladbach seized a bit of momentum by putting a 3-0 beating on Leipzig. The right back won 7-of-10 duels and drew two fouls while registering a key pass

By the way, Bayern lost to Augsburg despite Manuel Neuer’s best efforts.

And Union Berlin won again, with uncalled USMNT striker Jordan Pefok continuing his electric introduction to the Bundesliga and an incredible partnership with Union forward Sheraldo Becker.

Becker had a goal and an assist in Union’s 2-0 win over Wolfsburg, registering five shots and two key passes in a performance that would raise the eyebrows of any national team boss (though maybe any says too much, as Pefok’s only played 30 minutes for Gregg Berhalter since Sept. 9, 2021.

In a nice addition, Wolfsburg deployed 19-year-old American left back Kevin Paredes for the final 11 minutes. The diminutive DC United product has made three first-team appearances this young season.

Union sits first with 17 points, two ahead of Dortmund, and four clear of Freiburg. Bayern, Hoffenheim, and Gladbach follow with 12 each.

Serie A: What?!? 10-man Juventus loses at Monza

What’s more surprising:

  1. Monza has its first Serie A win after entering the game with a minus-11 goal differential through six outings
  2. Juventus has just two points and sits eighth going into the international break?

Wow.

An early Angel Di Maria red card put Weston McKennie and Juve behind the 8-ball away from home but surely winless Monza’s only hope was a point, yes?

Wrong.

Outshot 17-10, Juve’s attack struggled despite McKennie’s best effort. The USMNT man was pretty good and registered two key passes in the loss.

La Liga: Lewandowski shines with latest Barcelona teenager

Robert Lewandowski is going to get a whole ton of headlines after bagging a pair of goals in La Liga following his chance-frittering day against former club Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League.

But look at Xavi doing Barca things, bringing a teenage-year-old left back into the fold for a two-assist day in a 3-0 win over 10-man Elche.

Balde turns 19 next month and has made a handful of senior appearances in each of the last two seasons, but appearance No. 6 was a magic one on Saturday (video below).

La Masi-you later!

Elsewhere in La Liga, USMNT man Yunus Musah remained out through injury for Valencia and that meant we did not have USMNT vs USMNT when Luca de la Torre came off Celta Vigo’s bench late in Valencia’s 3-0 win.

Americans Abroad: Ricardo Pepi scores first Eredivisie goal

Even as Augsburg scores a historic win over Bayern Munich, Ricardo Pepi is enjoying life on loan from the Bundesliga set.

Called up to the USMNT for friendlies versus Japan and Saudi Arabia later this month while in-form Union Berlin striker Jordan Pefok was not, his form is clearly joining his national team stock while on loan in the Netherlands.

An assist on debut in a draw versus Cambuur was nice and now the lone Groningen goal in a 2-1 loss to Sparta Rotterdam gave him goal contributions in consecutive games.

Look out Saudi Arabia and Japan? Look out Wales? Here’s where I embed the video at top of my questioning Pefok’s omission and Pepi’s inclusion. Because honesty is good.

Really classy header here: