Weston McKennie is back with a bang! USMNT star provides two brilliant assists on return from injury - but sloppy Juventus settle for draw with Atalanta

Juventus went behind in the 35th minute as Atalanta pulled off a fantastic set piece to bamboozle the Bianconeri. On a free kick just outside of the box, Marco Pasalic rolled a pass to Teun Koopmeiners, who smashed home a shot to give Atalanta a lead.

That lead lasted until the 66th minute, when McKennie began his takeover. Up first was an assist for Andrea Cambiasso, with McKennie combining with Federico Chiesa to tee up the wingback for the equalizing goal.

McKennie then set up Juve's second four minutes later, providing his second assist of the match. This time, the goal came from Arkadiusz Milik, who benefitted from McKennie's service to make it 2-1.

Juve's lead, though, lasted just a few minutes before Koopmeiners made it 2-2, earning a share of the points.

Juventus will be frustrated to drop points from a leading position as any further slip ups could see them fall into a race for a top-four spot. As things stand, Juve are relatively safe on 58 points, one behind second-place Milan and 17 behind league-leaders Inter. Bologna, meanwhile, are lurking in fourth on 51 points, while Roma are on 47 with a game in hand.

The match saw McKennie make his return to the Juve XI, having been absent for the last several weeks. A shoulder injury suffered against Frosinone on February 25 has kept him out of the team, and his return will be a welcome sight for Juve.

The USMNT will be even happier to see McKennie back playing, particularly with the Nations League on the horizon. McKennie's shoulder injury threatened to rule him out of the upcoming Nations League semifinal against Jamaica, but, having made his return, it seems a safe bet to say he'll be included in the squad later this month.

Gregg Berhalter and the U.S. will also be thrilled to see the injury did little to slow McKennie down, as the midfielder's two-assist performance proved that his levels haven't dropped despite the absence.

McKennie's USMNT teammate Tim Weah, meanwhile, came in off the bench late to help Juve push for a winner, replacing the goalscorer Cambiasso in the 83rd minute.

Weston McKennie (8/10):

Bossed the game from midfield particularly in the second half with his two assists. A huge return for a player who is so, so key to how Juve want to play.

Tim Weah (N/A):

Came on a bit too late to make a real impact. Only had a few real touches of the ball.

Juventus will play one final game before McKennie and Weah link up with the U.S. men's national team for the international break. That match will come on March 17, when the Old Lady play host to Genoa, who sit 12th in Serie A.