Weston McKennie #8

Profile

McKennie is among the most talented players the USA has ever produced, and he is also among the most doubted. Formed in the youth system of FC Dallas and at the now-defunct US Soccer youth residency program in Bradenton, Florida, McKennie moved abroad to the Bundesliga before becoming the first American to appear for Italian giants Juventus in 2020. McKennie has at times struggled to be appropriately recognized at that club, and a disastrous loan spell to Leeds in 2023 didn’t help his case much. Even as a consistent contributor, the 27-year-old was frequently the subject of transfer rumors, or talked about as being dropped from the club’s plans. All of this despite the fact that very few on Juventus’ current roster have performed as consistently well as McKennie has over the past two years. At this point, the kid who grew up in Little Elm, Texas is among the club’s top 10 Champions League goalscorers. His recent form seems to have finally convinced someone that McKennie is among the world’s top midfielders – in March of this year, Juventus signed him through 2030.

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