mckennie.jpg
Getty Images

While scoring goals is the most important aspect of soccer for teams to win, it does take selflessness to make sure that that happens and one player who embodies that is Weston McKennie of Juventus. He scored an important insurance goal to help Juventus defeat Manchester City 2-0 in Champions League play on Wednesday but had to come off the bench to do it after recovering from a foot injury. 

Under Thiago Motta, it hasn't mattered what McKennie's role has been but he has been able to excel and now has two Champions League goals this season as well as a goal and two assists in Serie A play.

Juventus legend Alessandro Del Piero had high praise for McKennie after the match.

"The thing is you come onto the pitch in a big game ready mentally and physically," Del Piero said to McKennie about his performance following the match on CBS Sports' coverage. "So that I think is a quality as well. Understanding what's going on, understanding what the team needs because you are starting the action about your goal as well."

Scoring more than 200 goals in over 500 appearances for Juventus, Del Piero knows a thing or two about getting ready for a match and contributing to the team so to hear that from him speaks volumes about where McKennie is as a player while he is beginning to enter his prime. Now in his fifth season with Juventus -- with a brief loan to Leeds United breaking that up -- McKennie has scored 10 Serie A goals and assisted 12 more while making 113 appearances. Playing everywhere from wing back to all over the midfield, he has excelled in different roles proving people wrong along the way, scoring in memorable moments on the way. His volley goal against City was similar to the one he scored at Barcelona as Juve beat Lionel Messi and company during COVID.

"Like I've said many times before, it's just trying to do what's best for the team and whatever I'm called upon to do. I've always been a team player, I'm not that selfish. If I'm in front of goal and there's Dusan [Vlahovic] on my right, I'll give him the ball. He's a striker and his job is to score goals. My job is to create plays and make things happen so to be able to do that and get a win out of it is amazing."

Quotes like this show McKennie's growth as a player learning his role at the top levels. It's something that shows in his play but also in leadership that he's displaying while at the club making public appearances and now getting to show fellow United States international Tim Weah Italian soccer. With Juventus sitting sixth in Serie A after drawing three consecutive games, there's more work to be done but they're only seven points off of Atalanta in the Scudetto race.

The final remaining unbeaten side, Juventus are accomplishing good things under Motta but they'll need McKennie to keep up this strong form in order to turn draws into wins. Next up is a match versus newly promoted Venezia on Saturday.