Americans Abroad: Weston McKennie

Despite having large amounts of resources and a diverse range of sporting infrastructure, the U.S. Men’s National Team couldn’t even get out of CONCACAF, let alone succeed at the global stage. A plethora of issues plague the U.S. soccer community, and grassroots movements have emerged to rectify an entire federation’s mistakes. However, as wholesale changes are advocated, the show goes on, and for a generation of American players, the journey seems to have more bumps than hills.

Only 34 days after a disastrous loss at the hands of Trinidad & Tobago that prevented their trip to the 2018 World Cup, the U.S. Men’s National Team traveled to the Estádio Algarve to face Portugal in a friendly. With most fans frozen in a depressed, dejected state, it was a chance to reverse course, to ignite that essential feeling of hope that is so crucial for America. It was time for fresh faces to prove their worth, to put their names on the radar, and challenge the old guard who became too lax in their blind overconfidence.

Perhaps it was only right that only 1 player in the starting XI remained unchanged between the two matches – that was Newcastle man DeAndre Yedlin, who is the team’s best option at right back. 8 starters were 24 or younger, and 2 players made their senior team debuts. The first was New York Red Bull’s Tyler Adams, who became the 2nd youngest American to receive a cap (after Christian Pulisic). The second debutant was none other than Schalke’s Weston McKennie, whose performance brought him onto the radars of plenty fans who were oblivious to his presence the day prior.

Deployed as one of the center midfielders in a 4-1-4-1, McKennie was given licensed freedom to roam. Alongside Kellyn Acosta, he covered ground, maintained possession, and interrupted attacks, winning man-of-the-match in his first international game. He opened the scoring off a C.J. Sapong pass, cutting inside and finishing past the outstretched leg of Portugal’s Beto. He nearly grabbed a brace in the second half, after his header ricocheted off the crossbar, but even this miss couldn’t dim the sparkling performance the 19-year-old. If the main positive of the night was youth, McKennie was certainly the biggest highlight.