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Weston McKennie Addresses USMNT's 'Dangerous' & 'Forward-Thinking' Philosophy

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Marcelo Cartaxo | Last updated Oct 11, 2025 12:56 AM ET

Highlights

Weston McKennie not happy with USMNT 1-1 draw vs. Ecuador.
Team needs more aggressiveness.
McKennie signs up to change positions on the field.

Weston McKennie returned to the starting lineup for the USMNT’s friendly against Ecuador. The matchup has always been evenly balanced—five wins each and six draws—but intensity has consistently defined meetings between the two nations. McKennie took note of what needs improvement moving forward.

As one of the key figures in this USMNT generation, McKennie highlighted a few important takeaways from the 1–1 draw after the match.

"It was a game where it felt like we dominated," McKinnei told the reporters after the game. "They are dangerous in transitions and dangerous when we gave them those opportunities. We could've exploited them more. I am happy with the comeback. We wanted to win the game, but that's football."

"We could have won a lot more second balls tonight," McKennie said, "I hope we can take it from this and go forward and always try to be dangerous. Coach says it, we want to play forward and be dangerous."

The USMNT didn’t go full strength against Ecuador—and neither did their opponents.

Christian Pulisic came off the bench after experiencing knee swelling during the last training session, while Antonee Robinson and Alex Zendejas missed the match due to injuries.

Tyler Adams was also absent from the squad for personal reasons, as he just welcomed his first child.

Even so, Mauricio Pochettino chose to leave out Yunus Musah and Josh Sargent. While the manager hasn’t yet finalized his core group for the 2026 World Cup, his selections reflect a balance between regular call-ups and players who have been performing consistently for their clubs.

Mauricio Pochettino is very happy with the way the @USMNT is headed after their result vs. Ecuador pic.twitter.com/l6wTpIGI7z
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) October 11, 2025

What's Next for the USMNT?

The USMNT will play their second and final friendly of October. After drawing with Ecuador, they now face Australia at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park (DSG) in Colorado.

Christian Pulisic, Diego Luna, Alex Freeman, Cristian Roldan, Haji Wright, and Mark McKenzie all came off the bench in the second half of the previous match.

Luna, who started in Pulisic’s role during the Gold Cup, is expected to play a key part again, while the others continue working to regain form with the national team.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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