Weston McKennie excited to be part of a new generation of exciting US talent
United States international Weston McKennie has expressed his excitement about being part of an exciting crop of talented players who represent the Stars and Stripes.
The current generation of players is arguably the most talented in the history of the USMNT. There are high expectations that they could take the men's national team to new heights after several decades of being in the shadows of the USWNT.
Weston McKennie began his footballing career in the FC Dallas youth team before sealing a switch to Schalke 04 in 2016.
Four years were spent with the Gelsenkirchen side before he completed a loan move to Juventus this summer. He has also been a full international since 2017.
His move to Turin continues an impressive trajectory that has seen US players sign for the biggest teams in the world, with Gio Reyna currently with Borussia Dortmund, Christian Pulisc at Chelsea while Konrad de la Fuente and Sergino Dest recently completed moves to Barcelona.
Never before has there been such a concentration of American talent at top European football clubs, and it is a situation that Weston McKennie is relishing.
Weston McKennie on the higher profile of American players and playing for Juventus
Weston McKennie gave his take on the next generation of US talent in an interview with ESPN while also his role at Juventus. He said:
''It's exciting to be part of the new generation. You have a team that is getting the exposure and experience of playing day-in and day-out with the best players in the world."
He also spoke about sharing a dressing room with Cristiano Ronaldo and other world-class talents in the Bianconeri camp.
''It was definitely jaw-dropping for sure, walking into the locker room and seeing the players that I'm playing with,"
"For me, I look at it and I think I can learn so much from these people and hopefully they take me under their wing, and they definitely have, so it's definitely been amazing so far."
The 22-year-old garnered interest from several clubs. While the midfielder admitted that his dream was to play in the Premier League, he stated that the prospect of playing under Andrea Pirlo (one of the greatest to play in his position) was a crucial factor in his decision to join Juventus.
"Of course, it wasn't a hidden secret that my goal and my dream was to try to make it to the Premier League,"
"But with that being said, when a team like Juventus comes in with the caliber of players they have, the training staff, with me hearing that Pirlo's going to be the new coach — just hearing all those things made it even more intriguing to come here. It's a club that wins titles, it's a club that challenges and competes to be the best in the world. It fit my goals and aspirations as well, I want to become one of the best at my position, I want to win titles, I want to make history and make history with the club as well."
Weston McKennie has begun his Juventus career brightly, starting both Serie A matches against Sampdoria and AS Roma as the Turin giants seek to win a ninth consecutive Scudetto.