You would be forgiven for thinking that Christian Pulisic was the only American teenager making waves in Germany. A wonderkid carrying the restless hopes of club and country on his young shoulders, expectations are enormous. He’s learned to live with them and is thriving on an individual level, although team success is frustratingly elusive at the moment.
Charged with dragging a chronically average USA squad to the World Cup at such a tender age, Pulisic and the rest stumbled at the final hurdle. Despite scoring his side’s only goal against Trinidad and Tobago – shifting the ball onto his right foot and firing in from the edge of the area – it wasn’t enough. A 2-1 loss condemned them to missing out on the tournament for the first time since 1986.
The vibrant centre of America’s football universe, everyone else exists in Pulisic’s shadow. As a nation mourned that seminal defeat, plans were afoot to reinvigorate a stale squad. Some established names were eased out while a new generation was ushered in. Amongst them was Weston McKennie, a busy central midfielder making great strides at Schalke.
He was one of several uncapped teenagers called up by interim manager Dave Sarachan for the friendly with Portugal earlier this month. The two sides last met for an entertaining 2-2 draw in the group stage at the 2014 World Cup. This was a rather less significant encounter but offered some tentative encouragement after the despair of failing to qualify.
Pulisic was rested, allowing others the chance to shine. McKennie seized his opportunity, opening the scoring as he received the ball just outside the box, jinked inside a defender and calmly found the bottom corner. Another young pretender, Ethan Horvath, unfortunately gifted Portugal the equaliser when he dived over a speculative cross.
McKennie was excellent, and could have had a second, heading against the bar from a corner. Not famed for his attacking threat, it was his first ever goal as a professional and only his 11th senior appearance. He built on that dominant display with another for his club on Sunday, helping Schalke to a 2-0 win over Hamburg in front of a packed crowd at the Veltins-Arena.
The result moved them up to second in the Bundesliga table, behind runaway leaders Bayern Munich. After an indifferent season under Markus Weinzerl, where they finished tenth, Domenico Tedesco was brought in as Schalke’s new manager. The 32-year-old enjoys a burgeoning reputation as one of the most progressive figures in German football and is prepared to put his faith in young players.
Like close friends Julian Nagelsmann and Alexander Nouri, Tedesco was part of the same class at the DFB’s coaching academy, emerging with top honours. He has Schalke unbeaten in seven games, playing bold and adaptable football. Against Hamburg they used a 3-4-3 formation which placed great demands on two young central midfielders, yet McKennie and Max Meyer were more than up to the task.
The pair have a perfect balance of energy, poise and technical ability. McKennie is the more dynamic of the two, shuttling up and down the pitch, breaking up play and driving forward with the ball, while Meyer recycles possession well. Prepared to drop deep, he finds pockets of space from which to launch attacks. The exceptional Leon Goretzka, currently absent through injury, hasn’t been missed as much as was feared.
Born and raised in Texas, last year McKennie rejected the chance to sign with local side FC Dallas, in favour of moving to Schalke. It was a brave decision, and one that’s already starting to pay off. He made his first team debut as a late substitute in the final match of the season against Ingolstadt. There was little riding on the outcome and many wondered how involved he would be once the new campaign rolled around.
After a couple of cameos off the bench he was thrown into the starting line-up against Bayern Munich. A baptism of fire for the American, he had a tough afternoon. Schalke lost 3-0 but Tedesco was undeterred, persisting with McKennie ahead of more established players. His patience is being rewarded.
The American midfielder was recently awarded a new five-year deal, demonstrating how highly the club values him. As interest in Goretzka mounts and his time at Schalke nears an end – the German international’s contract is set to expire next summer and he is unwilling to extend his stay – McKennie will take on an ever greater role in the team.
