Mark McKenzie knows the label. "Fringe player," he says.
Those are his own words and, while harsh, they are true. There's generally a core group within the U.S. men's national team and, for the majority of his career, McKenzie has been on the outside looking in.
In some ways, he embraces that fringe role. He works hard within it. He plays his part, challenging those in front of him. He fights for whatever small victories he can get. He pushes for more whenever and however he can.
That doesn't mean he likes it, though, and it certainly doesn't mean he's willing to settle for it. After four years with the national team and with a new era about to begin, McKenzie is poised to pounce on the opportunity. He's ready to shed that label. He's lived the life of a fringe player, and wonders, could now be the time to become something more?
"That's been kind of my story with the national team for some time: being there, but not being a 'player' or being one of the 'players' .. just kind of being a fringe player, I guess you can say," McKenzie tells GOAL. "I don't like to put that label on myself, but within the national team, that's always just been my spot. "I've been there with the group and almost breaking through, but not there yet - or haven't been given a chance yet to showcase that consistently. That's been what's kind of held me back from being able to break through on the national team.
"You have to accept that every coach is going to make a decision, and he's not in best position either, so you have to have a sense of grace and empathy for him as well. He's trying to put together the best team he sees and win a game, win a tournament, or at least be successful over over a period of time. It's a difficult position to be in, but nonetheless, there's new opportunity here. It's exciting. The World Cup is on just the other side of the horizon. That's my goal. That's my ambition."
Ahead of September camp and a coaching change that will reportedly put Mauricio Pochettino in charge of the USMNT, GOAL caught up with McKenzie to talk about his rollercoaster career, the toughest moments, his professional goals and his strategy to move from the fringe to center stage.