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Weston McKennie. Author Original: Hayden Schiff from Cincinnati, USA.

Top 10 Facts about American Football Star Weston McKennie

The upcoming Weston McKennie is 24-years-old, right-footed professional football player from United States. Born in Dallas, TX, Weston McKennie has also played in Bundesliga for Schalke. He currently plays as a Midfielder (Centre, Left) in Serie A for club Juventus.  Internationally, though USA will be participating in this year鈥檚 world, unfortunately for the young player, he will not be making his debut in the tournament due to a foot injury that has left him out for some time and he will be recuperating from surgery. With his unique style of play he has a bright future ahead to replace the elite players such as Messi, CX7, and Kareem Benzema amongst others

1. He spent His Early Childhood In Germany

Born on Aug. 28, 1998 in Little Elm, Texas, McKennie got interested in soccer thanks to the three years he spent growing up in Kaiserslautern, Germany where his father served on a military base.  Growing up in the in the football-mad nation helped steer him towards soccer. Interestingly, he joined his first club, FC Ph枚nix Otterbach, at the age of only six in 2004.

鈥淲hen I moved to Germany, it was the only sport that they really played there,鈥� McKennie said. 鈥淚 started playing like that; 鈥淚 fell in love with the sport: the culture, the fans, how big it is over there, how they support it in Europe.鈥�

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2. He Had An Opportunity To Meet The Legendary Landon Donovan

Landon Donovan of Los Angeles Galaxy. Author Noelle Noble.

Some of McKennie鈥檚 earliest exposure to the MNT came in 2006, when the Red, White and Blue traveled to Kaiserslautern for a friendly against Poland ahead of the 2006 World Cup. The crowd was primarily made up of U.S. military personnel from his father鈥檚 Ramstein Air Base. In the lead-up to the game, McKennie had the chance to meet MNT legends Landon Donovan and Carlos Bocanegra.

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3. Initially, He Played Both American Football And Soccer

American Football. Photo by Dave Adamson on

He spent three years in Germany after which his family moved back to the United States. Though in love with soccer, like many kids from Texas, his passion was more towards American football. For a time, he played both sports simultaneously, even squeezing games from both disciplines in on the same day. His soccer coaches would sometimes allow him to leave after he scored twice, so he would quickly knock two in, then rush to the car, put his pads on and take to the gridiron as a halfback.

4. He Pays Tribute To FC Dallas Academy For Nurturing His Football Talent

His soccer journey started at FC Dallas Academy in 2009. Dallas is one of M.L.S.鈥� top teams for Homegrown Player production, leading the league this season with nine Academy products on its roster. Kellyn Acosta and goalkeeper Jesse Gonzalez also joined him in camp ahead of the Portugal friendly after coming up through the Dallas academy ranks. 鈥淚 have a lot to thank FC Dallas for. Their system is one of the best in the country,鈥� McKennie said. 鈥淭hey really know what they鈥檙e doing. When I made the jump over to Europe, I wasn鈥檛 surprised by many of the things and many of the changes because FC Dallas was a step ahead.鈥�

His contribution to Dallas helped the club to two Development Academy championships, at the U-15/16 level in 2015 and the U-17/18 level in 2016. His efforts in 2016, his final season with the club, earned him Central Conference Player of the Year honors.

5. He Has Risen Through The Ranks Of The Youth National Team Program

McKennie. Author Original: Hayden Schiff from Cincinnati, USA.

As one of the top players in the Development Academy, McKennie quickly caught the attention of scouts and National Team coaches. He rose through the ranks of the Youth National Team program, starting at U-14 and rising through the U-17 and U-19 levels before earning his first senior team call-up this month.

Most recently at the U-19 level, McKennie lead the red, white and blue to the 2016 Slovakia Cup title, defeating Russia 2-1 for the tournament championship. He missed this summer鈥檚 U-20 World Cup when Schalke refused to release him from the team鈥檚 deep run in the U-19 Bundesliga championships.

It was also here that he had the opportunity to meet Christian Pulisic, his 鈥渇irst friend鈥� within the National Team. McKennie has followed Pulsiic鈥檚 path to making an impact in Germany, and the two remain close off the field. They鈥檒l meet for the Revierderby when Schalke comes to visit Borussia Dortmund at the Westfalenstadion and, as McKennie said, put their friendship 鈥渙n hold for 90 minutes.鈥�

鈥淓ven though he鈥檚 a bit younger than me, I still look up to him,鈥� McKennie said. 鈥淗e was the stepping stone to coming back over to Germany. He paved the way, he made kids believe that it was possible.鈥�

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6. He Led Schalke鈥檚 U-19 side in the U-19 Bundesliga

In his first season at Schalke, McKennie joined Schalke鈥檚 U-19 side in the U-19 Bundesliga and led the team all the way to the Championship Semifinal, where it fell to Bayern Munich on penalties. He also made his mark on the U-19 squad, captaining the team five times, scoring four goals and notching three assists during the course of the team鈥檚 21-match campaign.

7. He Has The Longest Deal Of Any Current Schalke Player

Since making his debut against Ingolstadt at the end of last season, McKennie has made just 10 first-team appearances for Schalke, but that didn’t stop the club extending his contract until June 2022 at the back end of September. After losing Sead Kolasinac on a free transfer to Arsenal this summer and with Leon Goretzka’s contract due to expire in June 2018, the Royal Blues are clearly determined not to let another hot prospect slip through their fingers.  This has catapulted him to become one of the most dependable players at the club and is likely to increase his net worth.

“Weston will develop into a key member of our first team,” insisted sporting director Christian Heidel. “Thanks to his talent and his willingness to learn, he has made the rise from the U19s to the Bundesliga, and it’s been a success from the get-go. We’re very happy that Weston sees his long-term future at Schalke.”

Whether you’re a fan of Schalke, the USA or simply the Bundesliga in general, one thing’s for sure: you haven’t heard the last of Weston McKennie.

8. He Captained the US U19s to Slovakia Cup Victory

The naturally gifted McKennie had already demonstrated his leadership credentials several months before making the switch to Schalke. After an impressive 2015/16 campaign with Dallas in which he netted 12 goals from central midfield, the future Royal Blue captained the US U19s to victory at the 2016 Slovakia Cup, and was named Player of the Tournament for good measure.

“If things go the way that I feel they will, I think we’ll be talking about him in the same way as we are about Christian Pulisic, and he could progress even further,” insisted former US goalkeeper Brad Friedel, who was in charge of the U19s at the time. “I don’t want to put a lot of pressure on him, but he is one outstanding talent.”

9. He Made His First National Team Appearance At The Age Of 19

McKennie Playing for The US National Youth Team.

His impressive play in the Bundesliga earned him his first call-up for the MNT’s year-end friendly at Portugal. Marking the beginning of a new era for the MNT, the 19-year-old joined Tyler Adams and Cameron Carter-Vickers in making his senior debut and became the third youngest U.S. player to tally in his first cap when he put home a clinical finish to open the scoring in the 21st minute. McKennie played 84 minutes and earned Man of the Match honors as the MNT played to a 1-1 draw with the reigning European champions in Leiria.

10. He is a big Harry Potter Fan

A self-confessed fan of J. K. Rowling’s boy wizard, McKennie is clearly hoping he can cast a spell on the Signal Iduna Park when Schalke travel to Dortmund for the season’s first Revierderby on Match day 13 – especially if he comes up against his old pal Pulisic.

“When I got here, they were like, ‘Your little friend down the road is playing for the wrong team.’ It’s funny. I’m a big Harry Potter fan and Dortmund are like ‘They-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named’.”

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