Weston McKennie's Juventus contract extension is a win for him and the USMNT

An American outlaw

On paper, McKennie's Juventus journey has been smooth. In reality, though, his time in Turin has been marked by serious tumult. 

McKennie has worked with six managers in his six years at Juventus, from Andrea Pirlo to Igor Tudor, and every single one of them threatened to drop him from the lineup altogether. He's played all over the field, from central midfield to the wing to defense. Even his relationship with the Italian people has been a struggle: McKennie caused genuine outrage in his adopted nation by suggesting that Italian food had little variety.

Simply put, it's never been easy for McKennie. But he's held on throughout the turmoil to establish himself as one of Juventus's most useful and versatile players. 

The USMNT's secret weapon

McKennie has spent much of his time with the USMNT playing as a midfielder, but Spalletti has different ideas for the American. He's leveraged him as a traditional striker, calling him "perfect" in that role, but in Juventus's recent Champions League series against Galatasaray, Spalletti used him somewhere else: as a right wingback hovering just above the defensive line.

"When he plays behind a centre forward, he can act where he prefers, but tonight we have a different need,” Spalletti said of the switch, via Yahoo! Sports. "They [Galatasaray] have strong wingers in one-on-one situations, and we have absentees that led us to play him there."

The move turned out to be a revelation. Juventus lost the first leg against Galatasaray 5-2 with McKennie in a striker role, but fought back to tie the series at 5-5 in the second leg with McKennie sitting deeper. He even scored the decisive goal that leveled the tie.

Regular viewers of the USMNT will know that right wingback was an area of real concern for the team in 2025. Villarreal defender Alex Freeman played it well but looked much more natural as a right center back in a three-man defense, while Marseille utility man Tim Weah performed admirably there but looked far stronger in a more advanced position. That right wingback role has been the USMNT's biggest open tactical question for months.

McKennie has proven that he could be the answer. And that's great news for both him and the team, because Pochettino's new defensive shape (three center backs and two attacking wingbacks instead of a traditional four-man line) removes the midfield position that McKennie otherwise would've filled.

The USMNT will return to action in late March with friendlies against Portugal and Belgium. This time, McKennie should be a lock for Pochettino's roster.