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It’s been a while since we last saw Weston McKennie<\/a> perform for the U.S. Men’s National Team<\/a>. Coach Mauricio Pochettino<\/a> left him out of the team’s November double header against Paraguay and Uruguay, citing the changing situation with his club team, Juventus<\/a>, as the reason. The Italian club had just hired coach Luciano Spalletti to pull it out of a poor run of form and McKennie’s role in Juventus’s future was uncertain.<\/p>\n “These next few weeks, with the possibility for the new coach to work with the players there, I think it\u2019s important for Weston to be there and to convince the coach to keep playing [him],\u201d said Pochettino of his decision<\/a>, via Leander Schaerlaeckens of The Guardian. \u201cI think that\u2019s more important than to be with us, because we already know what he can provide the team.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Pochettino’s perspective turned out to be prescient. The USMNT won both its November games handily, and McKennie\u2014a player frequently on the outs with Juventus since his arrival in 2020\u2014became a crucial part of Spalletti’s vision for the club’s future.<\/p>\n Spalletti rewarded McKennie’s patience, flexibility and effort with a new contract tying him to Juventus through 2030.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n