There was a time when soccer in the United States was looked down upon by the elite leagues in Europe. A time when $73 million for a player from across the pond was unthinkable. My how times have changed.
From Christian Pulisic’s mega-money move from Dortmund to Chelsea to Gio Reyna turning heads in the Bundesliga, this week we’ll see us taking a look at the main American talents making a splash on the continent where the sport was born.
It’s the perfect time to do so as the United States Men’s National Team have a friendly against Wales on Nov. 12 (start time, 2:45pm ET) in Swansea at the Liberty Stadium.
They will then play Panama on Nov. 16 in Wiener Neustadt, Austria to complete the pair of games they have scheduled this internaitonal break.
Due to COVID-19 outbreaks and public health precautions, the only previous action for the Stars & Stripes in 2020 was a Feb. 1 victory over Costa Rica by the score of 1-0. Hailing from the Lone Star state, Weston McKennie currently plays alongside one of the world’s best players in Cristiano Ronaldo
Signing for Andrea Pirlo’s Juventus side on loan from German side FC Schalke 04, the jack of all trades midfielder has impressed in Serie A so far this season. He has impressed the staff at Juve during his six senior appearances and talk of a permanent move to the Old Lady of Italian football speaks volumes about his talent.
After serving an apprenticeship at FC Dallas, he secured a move at the age of just 18 to the German side where he made 75 appearances, scoring four goals. Instantly establishing himself as a vital cog in the Schalke midfield at the tender age of 19, he made 22 apps in his debut season. The following season he made 30 appearances in all competitions.
He also found the back of the net in both the Bundesliga and the Champions League. His Champions League goal came away to Lokomotiv Moscow and his Bundesliga strike came against Fortuna Dusseldorf in a 2-0 victory.
He improved his game further in a very difficult season for the German side in 19/20. The shining light of a disappointing campaign for Schalke, he caught the eye of Juventus scouts.
Making his debut for the USMNT at the age of nineteen, he has received 19 international caps already. He was named part of the squad that finished runners up to Mexico in the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
In that tournament, he scored the winner in the quarter-final clash against Curacao and the first goal in the semi-final clash against Jamaica.
He wore the captain’s armband in the defeat to Mexico in the final. It’s hard to think of any player aged 19 who has the wealth of international experience Weston Mckennie has.
USMNT Golden Generation Profile Series
Christian Pulisic Gio Reyna Sergino Dest Josh Sargent Zack Steffen Tyler Adams
Stuart Kavanagh is an up and coming journalist from Melbourne, Australia. A student of sports media, his passion for the world game, in particular, shines through. Always keen to discuss footballing matters, you can follow him on Twitter @futbolislife8