24 Facts About Weston McKennie

Weston James Earl McKennie was born on August 28,1998 and is an American professional soccer player who plays primarily as a midfielder for Serie A club Juventus and the United States national team.

Weston McKennie has represented the United States internationally at both the youth and senior levels.

Weston McKennie made his senior debut in 2017 and has finished runner-up in the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup and won the CONCACAF Nations League in 2021,2023, and 2024, winning the best player award of the 2021 tournament.

Weston McKennie lived in Kaiserslautern, Germany, from age six to nine as his father, a United States Air Force officer, was stationed at nearby Ramstein Air Base.

Weston McKennie started playing soccer for the local club FC Phonix Otterbach in 2004, before moving back to the United States.

Weston McKennie played for the youth system of Major League Soccer side FC Dallas for seven years from 2009 to 2016, before moving to Schalke.

In February 2016, Weston McKennie signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the University of Virginia, but he subsequently turned down the scholarship offer to play for the Cavaliers, and instead sought to go professional.

In July 2016 Weston McKennie declined to sign a Homegrown Player contract with FC Dallas.

Weston McKennie joined German Bundesliga side FC Schalke 04 in August 2016.

Weston McKennie made his first start in September 2017 and signed a five-year contract shortly after.

Further, he proved to be a valuable asset to Schalke given his versatility, with Weston McKennie playing multiple positions in the midfield and defense for the team.

Under new manager David Wagner, Weston McKennie further established himself as an important part and valuable asset of a team that struggled to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Weston McKennie made a total of 28 appearances and scored three goals for Schalke in the Bundesliga.

Weston McKennie made a further four appearances in the DFB-Pokal for the club.

However, if Weston McKennie met certain performance incentives, the option would automatically trigger, and the deal would become permanent.

Weston McKennie made 20 appearances for the team across all competitions, including 16 starts in the Premier League, but failed to score any goals before Leeds were ultimately relegated on the last day of the season.

Weston McKennie has played with various United States youth teams, including the under-17 and under-20 national teams.

Weston McKennie earned his first senior team callup for the United States' friendly against Portugal on November 14,2017, scoring on his debut.

Weston McKennie notched his second goal in the semi-finals against Jamaica in the 19th minute.

On October 12,2019, Weston McKennie scored the fastest hat-trick in the US men's national team's history, scoring three goals in thirteen minutes in a CONCACAF Nations League game against Cuba.

On September 7,2021, during the final round of 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying, Weston McKennie was dropped from the national team for breaking COVID-19 team protocols by bringing a guest into his hotel room while the team was in Nashville, Tennessee, for their match against Canada.

Weston McKennie won the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League against Canada and the 2024 CONCACAF Nations League against Mexico, where he assisted Tyler Adams for the opening goal in the final.

Weston McKennie has been a fan of the Wizarding World since first reading a Harry Potter book at the age of 6.

Weston McKennie has a Harry Potter lightning bolt tattoo and his signature goal celebration involves waving his hand as if using a wand to cast a spell.