Weston McKennie Leaves Schalke For Juventus Where Cristiano Ronaldo Will Be A Teammate

 

    If you've been paying attention lately, this end result wasn't a surprise by any means since European soccer rumors are covered almost as extensively as U.S. presidential elections stateside but it is still enormous news for the U.S. men's soccer national team that one of their top talents-midfielder Weston McKennie-has been loaned from FC Schalke (Germany) to Juventus (Italy) until June 30, 2021. If things go well for the 22-year-old Texan at one of the world's top clubs, he could in line for 18.5 million Euros paid over three years. He will be the first American to ever play for Juve. Wow!

    It's been a meteoric rise for McKennie who started with his local MLS club's (FC Dallas) youth program before making the prudent move to head to Schalke and the Bundesliga in 2016. He spent part of his childhood growing up in Germany so there wasn't a huge culture shock for him once he returned. In fact, he made his first team debut the next year. Over the past three seasons, he's become a fixture for Schalke playing in multiple positions and therefore in the same time frame he got his first USMNT call-up under his belt (memorably scoring vs. Portugal in his U.S. debut) and since then he's become enough of a star that he was a captain for them as a 20-year-old.

    Christian Pulisic rightfully gets most of the headlines which makes sense with his insane career trajectory but with McKennie at Juventus now along with Tyler Adams at Red Bull Leipzig and Giovanni Reyna at Borussia Dortmund just to name a few, the US men's national team shouldn't miss any more World Cups in the near future-assuming that those are still a thing despite the Covid-19 pandemic. Besides their ages and limitless potential, my favorite part about all of these guys is that they are not afraid to go to Europe where they can train and compete against the best players from around the globe. They are not the coddled players from previous USMNT generations that mostly preferred to stick around here where they could dominate without putting in much effort.

    Moreover, they are not scared to make the leap to even bigger (ie. more pressure-packed) clubs. With five goals in 91 career appearances for Schalke (including a Champions League game-winner) and six goals in 19 appearances for the Red, White and Blue, McKennie realized that Schalke will never be more than a mid-tier club in the Bundesliga at best. Their glory days have long passed and they'll never be better than the juggernaut Bayern Munich or Dortmund who is also becoming a budding powerhouse in their own right. Juventus on the other hand is a lock to win Serie-A every year (9 in a row and counting!) not to mention the fact that they are always a contender for the Champions League crown as well. Oh and one of the greatest players in soccer history-Cristiano Ronaldo-plays there along with another absurd attacking talent in Argentine Paulo Dybala. You can't expect McKennie to have an immediate impact with Juve, remember that even Pulisic had some bumpy moments in his first Chelsea campaign, but you can't find a much better environment in every possible way (players, coaching, fans, worldwide attention) to maximize his abilities.

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DaMarcus Beasley, 1 of the Best Players in USMNT History, Retires From International Play

DaMarcus Beasley quietly retired this afternoon from the U.S. men's national team in his typical understated fashion: he let fans know about it by posting a very heartfelt message on his Instagram page. He was the first American to play in four World Cups (2002, 2006, 2010, 2014) and I think the most impressive part of his 121 CAPs (5th all-time) including 11 in the World Cup (2nd all-time) is that he successfully reinvented himself from an outside midfielder to a fullback in his last few years which is almost unheard of (at least going smoothly).

At age 32, Beasley kept himself in great shape since he started in all four World Cup matches for the U.S. last summer in Brazil. During his 14-year career (he debuted in 2001), he won four Gold Cup titles (2002, 2005, 2007, 2013). Since they are from the same generation and ironically are retiring at the same time, it's hard not to compare him a little bit with Landon Donovan. While the latter always got the lion's share of the attention for his goal-scoring and flashy moves, you could argue that Beasley was more consistent throughout his national team duties. What's more, he outlasted Donovan on the U.S. which has to mean something.

Finally, while Donovan mostly failed in his first few business trips to Europe, Beasley became one of the best American exports we've ever seen. He was the first American to score goals for two different clubs in the Champions League (Rangers, PSV Eindhoven) and he holds the USMNT record for Champions League appearances (22). He won two Dutch League championships at PSV and two Scottish titles at Rangers. The guy is a winner and that all-important trait seemed to follow him wherever he went.

He had two stints in MLS: with Chicago and Houston. Beasley is pretty tiny and he was never super skilled but he still put up decent goal (17) and assist (13) totals for the U.S. More importantly, he was extremely low-key and never brought the drama or unnecessary attention upon himself (ahem Landon). He is going to remain with the Dynamo but it will be weird not to see him in a U.S. uniform anymore. Just writing this and thinking about his career made me realize that Beasley was one of my all-time favorite U.S. players. What's not to like about him?

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No Problem Tim (Seriously), Take the Next Year Off from the USMNT

If anyone currently on the U.S. men's national team has earned himself a sabbatical, surely it's goalkeeper Tim Howard. This afternoon he made the unexpected decision to take the next year off from the squad to concentrate on his powerhouse club-Everton-while also spending more time with his family. For most players (cough cough Landon Donovan) this would be a recipe for disaster to go away in their prime but there are a few reasons why this makes perfect sense.

Howard is 35 so while he's not getting any younger, his goal of playing at the 2018 World Cup in Russia is attainable (since goalkeepers can hang around forever). Saving himself extra wear and tear with the U.S. should help maintain his legs. Keep in mind that other than the Gold Cup next summer (and really, who cares?) and some random friendlies, the Americans don't have many important matches through next September-when he'd prefer to return.

Also unlike Donovan, you can't doubt Howard's passion for the sport and underlying motivation. Plus, it's not as if he's taking time off just to do nothing or simply hang out/chase women after a divorce. He'll still be the No. 1 goalkeeper for one of the best clubs in England and by extension the world. That'll keep him plenty busy with that and remember that the EPL season (which just started last weekend) goes all the way until May with very few breaks.

Enjoy your USMNT time off Tim, hope you come back refreshed for head coach Jurgen Klinsmann and your teammates. For the next year, Brad Guzan (Aston Villa) figures to be the No. 1 goalkeeper for the U.S. with Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake) backing him up. I've always said that goalkeeping is the one position that we can match up favorably with any other country in the world. Guzan is very good, another starter in the EPL, while Rimando has become one of the top goalkeepers in MLS history.

Their first chance to shine will be on September 3 when the U.S. takes on Czech Republic in Prague. Howard and Everton host Arsenal on Saturday (12:30, NBC) at Goodison Park in arguably the top match of the weekend.

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