U.S. men’s national team standout Weston McKennie marked his first start of the season in style, racing to give Juventus a 2-0 lead early in Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League match against PSV.
The play begins with Nicolas Gonzalez receiving the ball on the right flank, outmaneuvering a PSV player who attempts to knock him off the ball as he makes a run towards goal. Gonzalez then makes his way into the box and passes the ball centrally, where Dusan Vlahovic is waiting. Vlahovic cannot get a clean touch on the ball with an opposing player marking him, but the ball falls to the nearby McKennie, who cleanly finishes the chance off from close range.
Take a look below.
McKennie’s strike continued a strong statement from Juventus, who returned to the Champions League after missing out on last season’s competition and already had a lead thanks to an impressive goal from 19-year-old Kenan Yildiz just six minutes earlier.
The early goal, though, marks a redemption arc of sorts for McKennie. The American was considered surplus at Juventus at the start of the summer and was left out of their preseason tour by new manager Thiago Motta. As the beginning of the season neared, though, McKennie was deemed “useful” by Motta and signed a new deal with the club, allowing Juventus not to lose him as a free agent next summer. Tuesday’s start is McKennie’s first of the season and his second game under Motta.
The midfielder went through a similar journey last summer, when he was left out of then-manager Massimiliano Allegri’s plans but went on to play 38 times for Juventus last season.
McKennie’s goal also came in the first Champions League game in which three Americans started, the other two being PSV’s Malik Tillman and Richy Ledezma. Another USMNT player, Timothy Weah, was named amongst the substitutes for Juventus after recovering from a short-term hamstring injury.
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