Scouting Report: Weston McKennie

There is an American teenager on the brink of a breakout season in the Bundesliga and his name is not Christian Pulisic. 19-year-old Weston McKennie has made a name for himself at Schalke 04 early in the season and is improving with every appearance. McKennie has just completed his third successive start for The Royal Blues, including impressive performances vs Bayern München and Hoffenheim. Starting in a match against the league favorites with just 25 minutes of Bundesliga play under your belt is not easy, actually, it’s probably quite nerve-wracking. Like his compatriot Christian Pulisic, he stepped up when his name was called.

McKennie is a central midfielder who spent his career with FC Dallas up until 2016 when he moved to Germany. Schalke brought in McKennie, Haji Wright and Nick Taitague, three young Americans waiting to prove themselves in Europe. Haji will spend the season on loan at 2. Bundesliga side, SV Sandhausen, while 18-year-old Taitague remains with Schalke’s U19 side. This furthers proves how ready Weston is, both of his American teammates are spending time developing elsewhere while McKennie plays against German giants on a consistent basis.

Weston was a standout in Schalke’s U19 team, hence the call up to the senior side. He proved he was more than a player who can just break up play. In fact, a lot of Schalke’s attacks would go through him. Whether it be a lofted ball over the top, which he is more than capable of, or quick passing in the middle, which his high football IQ allows him to do with success, McKennie was at the heart of most attacks despite not being in the oppositions final third that often.

Example: Here he is wearing the number 2 kit, picking the ball up near the middle of the pitch, making three quick, intelligent passes, finding empty space to move into in between each pass and getting the ball into the final third all in under eight seconds.