Two Americans combined to deal the final blow to Manchester City in Turin on Wednesday. Weston McKennie gave Juventus a 2-0 lead via an assist from Tim Weah to put the game out of reach late in the second half. McKennie had missed time for Juventus with a foot injury and had to settle for coming off the bench for Thiago Motta’s side, as did Weah, but once they entered in the 69th minute, McKennie and Weah ensured that his presence was felt and then some in the clash. The pair combined to score in the 75th minute and what a goal it was.
After Juventus won the ball back, McKennie released Weah down the left and the winger got two chances to cross it in and his second fell perfectly to McKennie who had steamed forward in support to hit the ball on the half-volley to double Juventus’ lead after Dusan Vlahovic scored in the first half of play. It’s the first time ever that an American has assisted another American in Champions League play.
Take a look at the goal:
“It was a big moment for the team with the situation that we’ve been in. I think we talked about it yesterday before the game and we wanted to come out here and give it the best that we could,” McKennie said following the match. “We knew it was going to be a difficult game because Manchester City is a team that’s all about possession and can punish you with one action. So we knew what type of game it was going to be and with the situation that we’re in, we wanted to win this game to boost our confidence to keep going forward in the league.”
McKennie’s goal and this victory came at a critical time as Juventus had drawn four consecutive games in all competitions prior to this match, but it also deepens Manchester City’s spiral. Under Pep Guardiola, City has now failed to win nine of their last 10 matches in all competitions and could find themselves in a fight to even make it out of the league phase as they currently sit 22nd on eight points. Facing Paris Saint-Germain next, that could be a match where the loser fails to make the knockout stage of the tournament while Juventus will like their standing after they rose to 13th with the result.
McKennie is enjoying another strong season with Juventus as this was now his second Champions League goal to go alongside a goal and two assists in Serie A play but it’s also a season that almost didn’t happen. Heading into the season, McKennie was out of manager Thiago Motta’s plans before not only forcing Motta’s hand but also extending his contract at Juventus for another season. Getting to move from playing as a wing back back into the center of the park where he’s more comfortable has had a large role on McKennie’s performances under Motta.
It feels like the beginning of each season starts with McKennie possibly being on the outs at Juventus before he plays his way back into the XI and shows why he’s one of the most important players in midfield at the club. At 26, he’s beginning to enter his prime, and speaking to CBS Sports, the American midfielder opened up on what it feels like to be doubted and how it impacts his play.
“Being an American, being over here, [being doubted] is something that you deal with,” McKennie said. “But I like it, I like it when people doubt me. I think I play my best football when people doubt me and you know, I’ve proven again and again. So as long as I’ve got people that doubt me I see good football, hopefully so it’s fine with me.”
The perception of Americans in Europe has been a common theme but it’s something that they’re all working on changing this year with Americans scoring eight goals in the UCL this season. Christian Pulisic and Malik Tillman lead the way with three goals apiece before McKennie’s two and Ricardo Pepi added another. Even when coming off the bench, Americans are getting the job done.
“There’s definitely a bias and it’s just something that you get used to,” McKennie said in the Pulisic documentary currently streaming on Paramount+. “I go through it most of the time. Whenever I’m at Juventus, every year somehow I’m on the out and I’m ready to be discarded and then every summer, I’m like a new player coming in, having to make a name for myself and it’s like, when are you guys just going to finally just see that I can play at this level and I’m good enough for this level and I’ve done it enough times? But it’s why Americans are the way we are because we always have this chip on our shoulder when we come to Europe.”
That chip shows in McKennie’s game as he’s able to contribute no matter what role he is in and it’s also important to have as many Americans in top form as possible ahead of the 2026 World Cup on home soil. Expectations are rising now that Mauricio Pochettino is the head coach of the United States men’s national team and having players like McKennie in top form will be critical to meet those expectations.
