Weston McKennie

Weston James Earl McKennie is an American professional soccer player who plays primarily as a midfielder for Serie A club Juventus and the United States national team. Recognized for his exceptional versatility, he has played numerous outfield positions throughout his career, including box-to-box midfielder, defensive midfielder, wide midfielder, mezzala, center-back, full-back, and striker.

McKennie was born on August 28, 1998, at Fort Lewis, Washington, but considers Little Elm, Texas, his hometown. Between the ages of six and nine, he lived in Kaiserslautern, Germany, while his father served in the United States Air Force. During this time, he began playing organized soccer for FC Phönix Otterbach in 2004. Upon returning to the United States, McKennie spent seven years in the FC Dallas youth academy from 2009 to 2016. Although he signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the University of Virginia in February 2016, he ultimately declined the scholarship and a Homegrown Player contract with FC Dallas to pursue a professional career in Europe.

In August 2016, McKennie signed with German club FC Schalke 04. After less than a year in the academy, he was promoted to the first team, debuting professionally in May 2017. He established himself in the squad during the 2017–18 season and spent three full seasons with Schalke, making 33 appearances in 2018–19 and scoring his first UEFA Champions League goal against Lokomotiv Moscow.

McKennie joined Italian side Juventus on loan in August 2020, becoming the club's first American player. Juventus exercised their option to make the transfer permanent in March 2021. He secured the 2020 Supercoppa Italiana and the 2020–21 Coppa Italia in his debut season. In January 2023, he completed a half-season loan to Premier League side Leeds United, making 20 appearances before returning to Juventus. Back in Italy, McKennie helped Juventus win the 2023–24 Coppa Italia. He later signed contract extensions with the club in 2024 and in March 2026, the latter keeping him at Juventus through 2030. During his 2025–26 campaign, he was named to the Serie A Team of the Season.

Internationally, McKennie represented the United States at the youth levels before earning his first senior cap and scoring a debut goal against Portugal in November 2017. He was part of the squad that finished as runners-up in the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup and helped the national team win three consecutive CONCACAF Nations League titles in 2021, 2023, and 2024. Individually, McKennie was named the U.S. Soccer Male Player of the Year in 2020 and received the Player of the Tournament award at the 2021 CONCACAF Nations League. In May 2026, he was named to the United States squad for his second FIFA World Cup.