Weston McKennie


Weston James Earl McKennie is an American soccer player who plays as a midfielder for German club Schalke 04 and the United States national team.

Youth

Weston McKennie grew up in Texas but spent 3 years in Kaiserslautern, Germany between the ages of 6 and 9 and started playing soccer for the local club FC Phönix Otterbach in 2004 before moving back to the United States.
In February 2016, 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 pro.

Professional career

In July 2016 McKennie rejected the chance to sign a Homegrown Player contract with FC Dallas. He joined German Bundesliga side FC Schalke 04 in August 2016.
After spending less than a year with Schalke's academy team, McKennie was promoted to the first-team squad in May 2017. He made his professional debut on May 20, 2017, as a 77th-minute substitute during a 1–1 draw with FC Ingolstadt 04. This was his only appearance during the 2016–17 season. McKennie made his first start in September 2017 and signed a five-year contract shortly after. He finished the 2017–18 season with 25 appearances in all competitions.

International career

McKennie has played with various United States youth teams, including the under-17 and under-20 national teams. McKennie earned his first senior team callup for the United States' friendly against Portugal on November 14, 2017, scoring on his debut.
McKennie's first international assist occurred in the opening game of the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup against Guyana at Allianz Field in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
McKennie scored the lone goal for the USMNT on June 30, 2019 to help them secure a 1-0 win in the Gold Cup quarterfinals against Curaçao.
McKennie notched his second goal of the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup against Jamaica in the 19th minute.
On October 12, 2019, McKennie scored the fastest hat-trick in USMNT history, scoring three goals in thirteen minutes in a CONCACAF Nations League game against Cuba.

Career statistics

Club

International

International goals

Scores and results list the United States' goal tally first.
No.DateVenueCapOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1November 14, 2017Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa, Leiria, Portugal11–01–1Friendly
2June 30, 2019Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, United States121–01–02019 CONCACAF Gold Cup
3July 3, 2019Nissan Stadium, Nashville, United States131–03–12019 CONCACAF Gold Cup
4October 11, 2019Audi Field, Washington, D.C., United States161–07–02019–20 CONCACAF Nations League A
5October 11, 2019Audi Field, Washington, D.C., United States162–07–02019–20 CONCACAF Nations League A
6October 11, 2019Audi Field, Washington, D.C., United States164–07–02019–20 CONCACAF Nations League A

Honors

International

;United States
McKennie is a critic of American president Donald Trump, saying that Trump can be called a racist and is not fit to be president. McKennie made these comments in 2020 after the Death of George Floyd.