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'He is growing a lot' - Andrea Pirlo hails the impact of USMNT's Weston McKennie after breakout season at Juventus

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Juventus and Italy legend Andrea Pirlo admitted that McKennie has established himself as an important piece of Juve's side this season, after struggling to fit in across his first few seasons in Turin. McKennie was named vice-captain by new manager Thiago Motta, <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-in/lists/usmnt-s-weston-mckennie-tim-weah-and-juventus-defeat-verona-in-serie-a-remain-top-four-in-race-for-ucl-in-2025-26/blt78aacec7e25c214e" target="_blank">and has tallied eight goal contributions</a> while playing in six different positions over the course of the campaign.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Pirlo highlighted McKennie's importance at a Serie A event in New York: "He is growing a lot. I've seen him not only grow on the pitch but also inside the locker room, which is an important step for him."

WHAT ANDREA PIRLO SAID

The event also included remarks from Commerical and Marketing Director Michele Ciccarese, who insisted that Serie A is looking into hosting a regular season game in the United States:"There are a lot of things happening that make it a possibility...everybody would like to [see] a live game. If I could take you all tomorrow to a San Siro experience or to an Olympic experience, you would love it," He said. "So the only way is to bring the club closer to the fans. We are working on potentially doing it. But there are barriers that we need to overcome with the right strategy in place and with the support of the clubs, without forgetting that players are players, and they have a lot of competitions."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Serie A also announced record viewership over the course of the 2024-25 season, with a cumulative live audience up over 50 percent compared to last year's numbers.

DID YOU KNOW?

The USMNT midfielder figures to be in the fold when Juve take on Atalanta on Saturday. They are currently on the periphery of the Serie A title race, six points behind league leaders Inter.GOAL's Raheem Taylor-Parkes contributed to this story.

WHAT NEXT FOR MCKENNIE

'He is growing a lot' - Andrea Pirlo hails the impact of USMNT's Weston McKennie after breakout season at Juventus  | Goal.com

Italy legend Andrea Pirlo praised Weston McKennie after the American established himself as a regular for the Serie A side 

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