Monday’s soccer news starts with Weston McKennie officially joining Serie A champions Juventus on-loan from Schalke 04. Juventus has an option to make the loan permanent. Juventus is paying €4.5m for the season-long loan and an additional €18.5m to make the loan permanent that could end up becoming €25.5m based on “further sporting performance objectives.”
“I’m very excited,” McKennie said. “You grow up watching these players, idolising them and playing with them on video games and they’re your teammates now, so it’s definitely a dream come true, for sure. When you think of the word Juventus, you think it’s historic, and champions of Italy all the time.”
Juventus is rebuilding following a Champions League exit to Lyon in the round of 16. That led to a change in coach with Andrea Pirlo taking the job. Pirlo previously coached Juventus’s U-23 squad. He replaced Maurizio Sarri who got one season on the job. As McKennie noted, Juventus won another Serie A title in 2019-20, finishing a point ahead of Inter Milan. It’s their ninth consecutive title, bringing their all-time total to 36.
Moving to the results for USMNT players in Europe and Mexico, Aron Johannsson scored twice in Hammarby’s 3-3 home draw with Kalmar. Richard Magyar put Hammarby up in the 28th with Kalmar equalizing from the penalty spot in the 34th. Kalmar went up in the 37th with Johannsson equalizing in the 47th. Johannsson converted a penalty in the 60th with Kalmar equalizing in the 82nd. Mix Diskerud’s Helsingborg beat Djurgarden 3-1 at home. Trailing from the 56th minute, Rasmus Jonsson equalized for Helsingborg in the 60th. Anthony van der Hurk made it 2-1 in the 71st with Alhajo Gero finishing off the goals in the 81st.
Timothy Weah subbed on in the 79th minute of Lille’s 1-0 win at Stafe de Reims. Jonathan Bamba scored the game’s only goal in the 32nd minute with Mike Maignan keeping the clean sheet. Ethan Horvath was on the bench for Club Brugge’s 2-1 win at Racing Genk. Hans Vanaken scored for Club Brugge in the 22nd with Racing Genk equalizing from the penalty spot in the 61st. Youssouph Badji made it 2-1 Club Brugge in the 83rd.
Ventura Alvarado was on the bench for San Luis’s 2-1 home loss to Club America. Ramiro Gonzalez scored for San Luis in the 5th minute. Club America converted a 31st minute penalty and took the lead for good in the 49th.
BBC Sport’s Neil Johnston looks at the realities of the preliminary round of FA Cup qualifying. The Athletic’s Matt Slater and
BLESSINGS!!! Excited to start this new journey! Couldn’t have done it without the massive support from my family, friends, and agents🙏🏽. Time to Work #forzajuve pic.twitter.com/97NdnOikRT
— Weston McKennie (@WMckennie) August 29, 2020
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