There’s a reason why the current USMNT pool is nicknamed the Golden Generation. Be it Christian Pulisic shining at AC Milan or Gio Reyna starting young at Dortmund, the majority of the American boys are making their nation proud by representing the pinnacle of the teams in foreign leagues. For Weston McKennie, however, that passion among U.S. players to prove themselves outside their country has apparently been ‘missing‘ for quite some time.

But how could it? From a time when the best U.S. players weren’t just at average clubs in Europe, but couldn’t even make it, we now see several Stars and Stripes players thriving at well-known clubs in Europe, demonstrating how much the team’s talent pool has improved over the years. Yet, even if today things are “very different than it was back then,” Weston has one major complaint.

“All those guys, they had something to prove all the time, to these bigger teams and I think that’s what is kind of missing right now,” added the Juventus midfielder during an exclusive chat with CBS Sports. McKennie believes that the passion and drive that earlier generations had—because they had something to prove to these big clubs—is somewhat missing today.

McKennie claims that earlier, players had a chip on their shoulder, where they had a mentality like, “‘Yo, this is America. This is what we’re known for. You guys doubt us and you guys say we’re not good enough and whatnot,’ and then we go out there and do what we do best.” However, today, such attitude isn’t found among a few of the American stars who have managed to break into the European domestic scene.

In fact, for some reason, one could argue that this progress has somehow backfired on the USMNT, particularly in their performances. The rise of American stars in foreign leagues hasn’t always translated to better results for the Eagles. Whether it was the heartbreaking round of 16 exit at the 2022 World Cup or the humiliating group-stage elimination at the 2024 Copa América, the national team’s performance hasn’t seen a significant improvement.

Of course, that’s because that same level of fire and determination they once had may not be as strong. Hence, the 26-year-old has called out to reignite the very fire that once existed within US players competing in Europe. That strong mindset of proving everyone wrong about the American bias must be rekindled.

Lucky that USMNT has a manager like Mauricio Pochettino, who McKennie feels will do everything that is in the best interests of the national team. “I think that’ll be, definitely, something that he can help with and instill in us again,” concluded the former Leeds United star, backing the new boss for helping the team rediscover the lost passion.

Perhaps, the former Schalke 04 star would know better, considering he himself faced harsh judgment during his early days.

Weston McKennie looks to keep up the American tradition of proving critics wrong

We have often heard Christian Pulisic talk about the biases against American-based players in Europe. The latest to touch on this topic was McKennie, who shared how he faced challenges while making it out in a foreign country. “During my career, even as a child, a lot of people didn’t believe in me. Even when I started my career here at Juventus, they told me Juve was too big for me and I would never play.”

However, never imagine that McKennie wouldn’t accept such criticism constructively, without proving all the naysayers wrong with his solid performances. “I like that, because I do everything I can to change their minds,” added the midfielder. That explains why he feels that such a mentality among American-based players of proving the cynics wrong has been diminishing.

In that case, Weston McKennie truly is the right man to underline this issue. It remains to be seen whether this declining trend within the USMNT changes with time.