When Mauricio Pochettino gathered its U.S. national team for a training camp last month in greater Philadelphia, Weston McKennie remained in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy. Pochettino wasn’t punishing him or sending him a message, as he had done with several veterans during that defining year.
Rather, Pochettino decided that McKennie – and, by extension, the national team – would benefit more from the Texan’s strengthening relationship with new Juventus coach Luciano Spalletti than from strengthening ties with his teammates during two US friendlies.
Advertisement
This decision bore fruit. Without McKennie, as well as several injured regulars, the Americans swept Paraguay and Uruguay. And McKennie has remained a fixture in Spalletti’s lineup, logging 90 minutes in each of the last 10 matches.
On Saturday, in his 200th appearance in five years for the Italian giants, he recorded a second-half assist during a 2-1 victory against Romamarking the third time in four matches that he has scored or played a secondary role in a goal.
Across three competitions, Juventus is 8-1-3 in their last 12 matches. Saturday’s victory moved it within one point of Roma for fourth place in Serie A in the Champions League in 2026-27.
Advertisement
McKennie, 27, has proven valuable not only in terms of production and minutes played, but also in terms of versatility. In 18 total starts, he started eight times at right-back, five at central midfield, twice at attacking midfield, twice at right wing and once at left-back.
As the World Cup approaches, that flexibility will provide options for Pochettino, who in October started McKennie in attacking midfield for friendlies against Ecuador and Australia. Since Pochettino’s arrival over a year ago, McKennie has also played a central and important role.
The US boss has plenty of time to continue to evaluate McKennie – not to mention the entire player pool. The next international window will take place at the end of March for friendly matches against Belgium and Portugal in Atlanta. Around two months later, Pochettino will name his 26-man squad for the World Cup.
Elsewhere in Europe this weekend…
Advertisement
Italy
Before Christian Pulisic and second place AC Milan had a free weekend following their 2-0 defeat to Napoli in the Italian Super Cup semi-final. Thursday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
midfielder Yunus Moussa made his first Serie A start in four months, playing the entirety of Atalanta’s 1-0 win over 10-man Genoa.
In Serie B, goalkeeper Jonathan Klinsman made his usual start as Cesena drew 1-1 with Juve Sabia extending the club’s unbeaten streak to four and leaving them in fourth place, three points from promotion.
The Netherlands
The American duo of Ricardo Pepi And Sergiño Dest combined for an equalizer early in the second half, Pepi scoring for the fifth time in six matches in all competitions as first-placed PSV Eindhoven came from behind to win 2-1 at Utrecht.
According to Opta, the 22-year-old striker has scored 15 goals in 13 Eredivisie starts since joining PSV last season, scoring at least one goal in 10 of those 13 starts, including the last four. In the league this season, Pepi has seven goals and one assist in 14 appearances (seven starts) for PSV, who are 15-1-1 and 11 points ahead of second-placed Feyenoord heading into the winter break. He also has three goals in five Champions League matches.
Advertisement
Dest recorded his fourth assist of the Eredivisie campaign.
England
It was the end of a difficult week for the central defender Chris Richards and Crystal Palace, who lost to Leeds 4-1. Richards didn’t play well for 90 minutes.
The streak began with a 3-0 home defeat to Manchester City in the Premier League, followed by a 2-2 home draw against Finnish club KuPS, which left Palace 10th in the UEFA Conference League (Europe’s third-tier continental competition). A victory would have earned him a top-eight spot and an automatic place in the round of 16. Instead, a playoff beckons.
midfielder Brendan Aaronson played 76 minutes for Leeds, 16th on the 20-team circuit. Palace are eighth.
Advertisement
Sidelined for two to three months with a torn MCL, midfielder Tyler Adams missed Bournemouth’s 1-1 draw against Burnley.
Left rear Antonée Robinson and Fulham, 15th, host Nottingham Forest, 17th, on Monday.
In the second division championship, Patrick Agyemang‘Sa’s pressure forced a first-half own goal and his late attempt for the winner was well saved as Derby County settled for a 1-1 draw with Portsmouth. The former Charlotte FC striker has five goals and three assists in his first season abroad.
Before Haji Wright played 82 minutes as 10-man Coventry City earned a 1-1 draw at Southampton, leaving the favorites 12 points clear of automatic promotion to the Premier League.
Advertisement
midfielder Aidan Morris (leg injury) missed his fifth consecutive match for second-placed Middlesbrough while playing as a striker Josh Sargent (concussion) missed his second in a row for Norwich City.
Germany
midfielder Malik Tillman started for the seventh time in eight matches in all competitions as Bayer Leverkusen won at RB Leipzig, 3-1, and moved into third place in the Bundesliga behind Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. Based on Fotomob analyzes, Tillman is Leverkusen’s third best player this season.
Noahkai Banks19-year-old central defender, made his 10th consecutive start in Augsburg’s 0-0 draw against Werder Bremen.
Advertisement
Right wing back Joe Scally (90 minutes) and midfielder Gio Reyna (65th) holder during Mönchengladbach’s 2-0 defeat at Dortmund. Reyna has started four consecutive matches, a positive development in his efforts to stay in Pochettino’s good graces.
Central midfielder James Sands remains a fixture at St. Pauli, making his 14th start in a 0-0 draw at Mainz. Rear left wing John Tolkin came on in the 63rd minute as Holstein Kiel ended a four-match winless streak in the second division with a 2–1 victory over Dynamo Dresden.
France
Into a cup weekend, forward Folarin Balogun (90 minutes) and Monaco had the toughest task, winning at Auxerre in Ligue 1 2-1 to advance to the round of 16.
Advertisement
Central defender Mark McKenzie (90) led Toulouse to a 2-1 victory at fifth division Lyon la Duchère. Winger Tim Weah played 69 minutes in Olympique de Marseille’s 6-0 victory at third-placed Bourg en Bresse Peronnas. Midfielder Tanner Tessmann came on in the 78th minute as Olympique Lyonnais needed three second-half goals to win 3-0 at home to seventh division Saint-Cyr Collonges.
Others
In Scotland, Celtic central defender Faithful Auston played 90 minutes in a 3–1 win over Aberdeen, a result which ended a four-game losing streak and left the Glasgow club six points behind leaders Hearts with a game in hand. …In Spain, central midfielder Johnny Cardoso did not play in Atletico Madrid’s 3-0 triumph at Girona. He has made a brief appearance in the last eight times he has worn the uniform for a La Liga match.
