USMNT, Juventus coaches keep doubting McKennie, and he keeps winning them over

It’s become like an annual ritual Weston McKenney. Every year he reports juventus As for the preseason, where there’s usually a new manager – and said manager arrives with a healthy skepticism about the American midfielder’s play.

Perhaps there needs to be some balancing of the club’s books, or there is a new prospect the manager feels will replace the American. The manager’s reservations ran deeper, perhaps as a result of some of McKennie’s past off-field mistakes.

But instead of folding, McKechnie delivers. Every time.

“I feel like I’ve been accustomed to it throughout my career, not just at Juventus,” McKennie told ESPN about the doubts surrounding him during a promotional event for Truly Hard Seltzer. “I just think all the time [my career]Even in my youth, I had it. So, I think I’m quite comfortable in that situation and I know how to get out of that situation.”

This season, McKennie has done much better than just “get out of that situation”. By any measure, he is having a dream season with the Italian giants, and that bodes well for them US men’s national team At this summer’s World Cup.

McKennie’s 15 goal contributions for Juventus in all competitions have obliterated his previous season’s high of 10, set in 2023–24. That current mark is also second on the team, just 20 contributions behind Kenan YildizAn attacking midfielder.

McKennie’s versatility has also been important for Juve – he has played in almost every position on the field except center back and goalkeeper. However, perhaps what is most impressive is how he earned the trust of Juve manager Luciano Spalletti, resulting in McKennie signing a new four-year contract, and putting the US international in good mental condition ahead of the World Cup.

“It’s a strong person who makes a strong footballer,” Spalletti told reporters earlier this year. “McKenny has this attitude, this way of meeting you halfway, as if he’s saying: ‘You ask, I’ll do.’ It starts and becomes effective.

“You can tell that he faced his fears when he was younger because in order to be brave, you have to face the thing that scares you. He tries to make plays that aren’t usually part of his repertoire, but he still tries them.”

McKennie’s American teammates have also taken notice, though the prevailing sentiment is more comfort than surprise. They know that when the World Cup trumpet blows this summer, McKennie’s form means they can rely on him to raise his game to the level required, and he can also drag the team along with him.

“Weston is someone you can never count out,” the American teammate said. Christian Pulisic told ESPN during a promotional event for the degree. “I mean, there’s always talk about Weston, even when he wasn’t sure whether he would go back to Juventus or not. But then he comes back and he plays quietly and does his job and everyone sees how good he is.

“I mean, that’s just Weston. I never really doubted him. We all know what he can do, what kind of person he is. So it doesn’t surprise me. It’s impressive, but at the same time, knowing him it’s no surprise.”

Pulisic doesn’t doubt McKennie, but a lot of coaches do. In fact, almost every manager who has taken charge of Juve since the Little Elm, Texas native joined the club in 2020 has wanted to get rid of him at some point.

Under Massimiliano Allegri, McKennie was sent on loan. leeds united The start of 2023, where he became a lightning rod for the Leeds fans in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to avoid relegation. When McKennie returned for the preseason later that year, he found his locker and parking spot lost.

The following season he was told by then manager Thiago Motta that he would not be needed. The following year, Igor Tudor was less skeptical but still had his criticisms about the American player. McKennie ultimately triumphed over them all, a result the 27-year-old has long been accustomed to.

“That’s life in general,” he said. “You have to constantly try to prove yourself and show why you should be there or why they should put you there. So, I don’t always look at it as a bad thing. I think it is what it is. It comes with the territory, it comes with the job and competitive play.”

As for how a player of McKennie’s talent and background continues to find himself in such a situation, there are reasons for some skepticism.

Perhaps the biggest thing is that he has shown lack of discipline many times outside the field. In 2021 he was fined and faced sanctions After Juventus hosted a party with two teammates in breach of COVID-19 protocols. Later that year, he was suspended by US coach Greg Berhalter before a World Cup qualifier. Another similar violation.

For austin fc Coach Nico Estevez, who watched McKennie closely as an assistant for the U.S. during the 2022 World Cup cycle, says it’s part of the maturation process.

“We’re all young, we’ve all been in moments where we haven’t done the right thing,” Estevez said. “But I think the cool thing about Weston is that when you get to know him, you know he’s such a nice guy, that he doesn’t do anything with any bad intentions.”

But sources told ESPN that McKennie has also developed a reputation for not maintaining his fitness and enjoying the nightlife too much. McKennie himself admitted during an interview with TNT that it was at Tudor’s urging that he pay more attention to his diet, which laid the foundation for his success this season.

Partying doesn’t seem to be the kind of dealbreaker that should cause a manager to drop a player, but an inability to keep fit can collectively stick to a player’s reputation like flypaper. McKennie needed to do extra work to break that perception this season.

“I got through it by doing the best I can, and keeping my head down and working, and then just constantly believing in myself,” McKechnie said.

McKennie’s cause was helped by a few factors, the biggest of which was his versatility. There is a lot to admire about his game, including his box-to-box running, late runs into the box and his ability to play lethal passes into the attacking third. All this happens no matter what position he plays.

“He’s like a street player,” Estevez said of McKenney. “In difficult moments where he doesn’t feel pressure, he can make plays. In the final third, he is very creative in the way he attacks the box. He has the instincts that are necessary. And when he is in tight spaces and there is not much to think about he can make some plays that are different and he can make a difference in those moments.”

But the other main factor comes off the field: McKennie is a likeable guy. Teammates and coaches say he brings a light, intelligent atmosphere to the locker room. Chris Armas, now coach of the Kansas City Current in the NWSL, also saw both sides of McKennie’s personality during the difficulties of the relegation battle at Leeds, where Armas was assistant coach during McKennie’s brief tenure at the club.

“On the team, he was a guy who brought a lot of joy to the group every day,” Armas said. “So if you watch him, you see him smiling a lot and laughing a lot, but he immediately switches on because he’s very competitive and wants to win in everything he does. That’s what I was able to see.”

But there is a surprising It obviously helped that McKennie was already enjoying a good season when Spalletti replaced Tudor in November, but in this instance, the new manager arrived without the usual suspicions.

McKechnie says the two have bonded on a deep level.

“He’s the best coach I’ve ever had in my career,” McKennie said. “It’s not just because I’m playing well under him and I’m having success under him. I just think he really knows the game and understands the game and he has the ability to do that. [connect]. So when he walks in the room and speaks about sports and about life in general, he can control the room. Everyone wants to hear what he has to say.”

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More recently, McKennie has faced some of the same challenges with the national team as he faced at club level.

McKennie was among the American players who performed poorly in the 2025 Concacaf Nations League Finals. defeat to panama And Canada Saw the US finish in a disappointing fourth place, at which point coach Mauricio Pochettino essentially started from scratch, vowing that nothing would be guaranteed to any player.

McKenney was later dropped from the roster For the September window but came back in October. Spalletti’s arrival just before the November window meant that Pochettino opted to let McKennie settle in with his new manager. For a spell, it created some uncertainty in terms of what Pochettino thought of the midfielder. What is not in question is that Pochettino’s message has been received by McKennie.

“I think [Pochettino] “Brings a different vibe, a different outlook on things, which I think he really wants it to be a family environment, but also a healthy, competitive environment,” McKennie said.

“I think it’s an amazing thing because then you get healthy competition, but at the same time, you all have guys fighting for the common goal, and that’s for the success of the team because no one is bigger than the team.”

Pochettino was also seen questioning where McKennie belonged. Under Berhalter, McKennie was a No. 8 in midfield, but in Pochettino’s system, he has been pushed further forward, closer to the central striker.

It’s a move that seems to suit McKennie well given the player’s strong offensive tendencies. But one gets the feeling now that Pochettino, despite his insistence that the team is the star, is now feeling more comfortable with McKennie.

That could prove crucial to U.S. hopes at the World Cup this summer. If the U.S. is to achieve its dream of an intense tournament run, McKennie will need to be at the center of it.

Pochettino said of McKennie in March, “When the team needs some different options in a different position, he can provide that. Yes, I’m very happy.” “I think he’s very focused and he’s been training really well and yes, I think he’s an important player.

“It’s nothing new for us. And at the level we’ve seen him at, he’s a good player and he might have options – no, big options – [for him] To be on the roster.”

What does McKennie think about his best position?

“My best situation is where the coach asks me to play,” he said.

On that front, there is no doubt.