McKennie discusses the perception of American players in Italy

Rome: Weston McKennie is among the few professional players from the USA in Serie A.

Traditionally, Americans are more renowned for playing basketball, American football, and other sports. Soccer is gradually gaining recognition in the country, with MLS making efforts to sign world-famous players, such as Lionel Messi.

McKennie stands out as one of the prominent American players, and his move to Juventus paved the way for Timothy Weah to join him at the Allianz Stadium this season.

Notably, other Americans like Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah have also made moves to the Italian top flight. McKennie expresses satisfaction that even in Italy, there is an increasing awareness that Americans can excel in football.

He said, as quoted by Tuttomercatoweb: “The Americans who play in Italy? I like it because everyone thinks we play football, basketball etc… Since I arrived everyone thought: but he’s American he can’t play football. Now there’s Pulisic, Musah, Busio, Weah … Now in Italy everyone thinks that Americans can play football. In Italy they are closed off. For me, it’s not important what others think.”

Juve FC says: “Americans are beginning to embrace football and like many sports, they are doing very well at it.

McKennie’s career seemed dead in the waters last season, but he has staged a remarkable recovery to deliver some fine performances for us this season.

“We expect the midfielder to keep improving and ensure that he stays in the team.”