USMNT & Juventus star Weston McKennie planning to 'say bad words' to Bayern Munich's Leon Goretzka in Germany clash as former Schalke team-mates renew rivalries

McKennie and Goretzka had a strong friendship when the former was progressing through the Schalke youth system, looking to the Germany international as a role model.

The pair will go head to head this week when the USMNT come up against Germany in a friendly on Saturday.

McKennie joined Schalke's academy in 2016, three years after Goretzka was signed by the senior side. The American midfielder was promoted to the first team a year later and they developed a close bond before Goretzka moved to Bayern Munich the following year.

Then, in 2020, McKennie was loaned to Juventus and joined the Italian side on a permanent basis the following summer. He was sent on loan to Leeds in January this year but has returned to Turin and is back in the first-team mix.

The 25-year-old is eager to come face-to-face with his old friend when they meet on the field this weekend.

He told reporters: "It's definitely a good opportunity for us to be able to play against guys that, at the club level, we've played against and played with. Leon Goretzka, for instance, was like a big brother to me when I was coming through the ranks at Schalke, so it's going to be nice to be able to see him and play against him as well and maybe be able to say some bad words to him in German, just to refresh my memory of how it used to be."

After the clash against Germany this weekend in Connecticut, McKennie and his USA team-mates will take on Ghana in another friendly.