Weston McKennie: Juventus' American midfield general, made in the Bundesliga
How do you go from growing up in a Texan town of 25,000 people to playing in Europe in stadiums that house more than double that? Just ask Weston McKennie, whose single-minded approach to soccer helped him reach the top before he was out of his teens.
He might never even have heard about the game had it not been for his father John's job in the US military, meaning the whole family moved to the town of Otterbach near the Ramstein Air Base in 2004.
In unfamiliar surroundings, young McKennie was forced to adapt. "I started playing American football, the earliest age I remember is when I was four," he told bundesliga.com.
"And then I moved over to Germany and I couldn't find a league or anything that had American football for my age group at that time, so I picked up soccer."
Watch: McKennie's roots
As Sliding Doors moments go, this was undoubtedly McKennie's. He joined his first club - FC Phönix Otterbach - at the age of six, and was an instant hit.
"He scored eight goals in the first game we had," recalls youth coach David Müller. "So we moved him up two age groups and we never lost a game with him in the side."
If that sparked a passion for football inside McKennie, meeting one of his country's all-time great soccer heroes really fanned the flames. With Germany hosting the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the US men’s national team headed over for a pre-tournament friendly against Poland in nearby Kaiserslautern. McKennie was not going to let an opportunity like that pass him by.
In addition to having his picture taken with legends Landon Donovan and Carlos Bocanegra, McKennie also had the former sign his very own football boots. "It was a life-changing experience for me," the midfielder recalled years later. "I didn't know you could play in the national team: in [American] football you can't, so when I met those guys I thought, 'Wow, I can aspire to be bigger than just playing for my club'."
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After three years in Germany, the McKennies returned to Texas, and while young Weston threw himself back into American football as a halfback, soccer very much remained a part of his life.
"On the weekends me and my mom would go to my soccer game and I'd score a couple, then I'd leave to go to my American football game and I'd put on my pads in the car while my mum was driving," he recalled.
Such commitment to both sports inevitably proved unsustainable and McKennie eventually chose soccer, rising up through the ranks at FC Dallas. By the age of 17 he had reached a crossroads: sign an MLS Homegrown Player contract with the club, attend the University of Virginia on a full scholarship, or move to Schalke in the Bundesliga.
The latter's interest in him had initially taken him aback, and McKennie had no hesitation in agreeing to the switch.
"I made the right decision and I don't regret it at all," he said. "It wasn't easy for me to let go of FC Dallas. But you've got to think, 'Will I look back in 10 years and wish I could've gone over to Europe?' I feel like if you can make it there, you can come back over here and play at a high level. But if as a kid you go into MLS and then try to come over to Europe, you might not be ready."
McKennie arrived at Schalke in August 2016 and was initially earmarked for the U19s. By the end of that season, however, he made his senior debut in the Bundesliga for the Royal Blues at the age of 18, coming on in the 77th minute of a 1-1 draw against Ingolstadt on Matchday 34 in May 2017.
He has not looked back since and just six months after that watershed moment, another arrived. McKennie scored on his debut for the senior US team in November, earning a 1-1 draw against reigning European champions Portugal.
"He's an outstanding talent," said former Schalke boss David Wagner, himself an eight-time USMNT international in his playing days. "In the No.6 or No.8 position he has the mentality - a real working mentality - that you need. And he’s brave on the ball as well. He's also very good in the air and he's young, so there is a lot more to come but we’re very happy to have him in our team."
Such was McKennie's versatility and understanding of the game that he operated in a wide variety of positions during his time at Schalke, from defensive midfielder to attacking midfielder, central defender and even striker.
That is not to say he does not have a preferred role, though: "I can't just play one position. I can't just play offence or just defence. For me, the best time I've ever had was playing as a No.8, where I was free to come back to get the ball and to go forward as well.
"I may not be the person that scores or assists that often, but I feel like I'm good at connecting plays or that defences are aware of just my presence. I have to roam a little bit.
"With that strength is also a weakness," he continued. "One of my weaknesses is having the tactical discipline to stay in one position. When you get to the highest level, that's what's important. You don't need to run 80 yards. It's about playing smart."
Watch: McKennie on his preferred position
He has added that in-game intelligence as he gained in experience. In addition to featuring six times in the UEFA Champions League in 2018/19, McKennie played increasing numbers of Bundesliga matches in his three full seasons with the first team between July 2017 and August 2020 (22, 24, 28), while his goal tally improved across that period too (0, 1, 3).
Those are by no means his only attributes, however. Arguably among his more defining characteristics are his tenacity and hard work, traits that swiftly endeared him to Schalke fans in a region that prides itself on graft.
"I think it's one of the reasons a player like [former Schalke and USA midfielder] Jermaine Jones or myself is really loved at a club like this, is supported at a club like this and feels at home at a club like this," he said in an interview with ESPN.
"My style of play matches what the city represents. That's why I feel at home here and I'm happy here as well."
That appreciation is also partly due to his gratitude for the club taking a chance on him at a young age: "The reason the Bundesliga is one of the top leagues in the world and one of the leagues many of us are coming to is that they give opportunity. For improving your craft there's no better place for young players to be than Germany. Over here you learn discipline, professionalism and work rate really quick.
"Schalke were the ones that gave me an opportunity and believed in me when others didn't, so I owe them a lot."
He repaid that faith in him in 91 competitive games for the Royal Blues, the high point coming in helping them to a runners-up finish in the 2017/18 Bundesliga season.
McKennie will undoubtedly be missed in Gelsenkirchen following his transfer to Juventus, a loan move in summer 2020 that was made permanent in March 2021, but he heads south to Italy as yet another Bundesliga success story.
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