'Everyone needs to fight' - The Weston McKennie conundrum - could yet another slow start for Juventus endanger the USMNT midfielder's World Cup ambitions?

Stop us if you've heard this one before: McKennie isn't playing much at Juventus early in this season.

Despite serving as captain of the club at points, McKennie has had a curious start to the Serie A season. He started on the bench against both Parma and Genoa, playing just one minute late in each of the club's two Serie A games. 

Then, after starting in meaningful matches against both Inter and Borussia Dortmund, he returned to the bench against Hellas Verona.Normally, that wouldn't be anything too concerning. Early season games are notoriously chaotic as players find fitness and coaches fine-tune what tactics will look like.

Reports out of Italy, though, suggest that McKennie isn't quite in Igor Tudor's plans. He does not remain a key player in midfield, where Kephren Thuram and Manuel Locatelli are preferred. Additionally, the club has another oft-criticized midfielder, Teun Koopmeiners, also pushing for minutes.

McKennie, to his credit, has also played in that right-wingback role, where he previously competed with Tim Weah, but that spot now seemingly belongs to Joao Mario, who is making it his own early in the season. We've seen this before. This won't be the first time McKennie will have to earn his spot.

Last year, McKennie revealed what he walked back into when he arrived at Juventus for 2024-25 preseason. His parking spot was gone. So, too, was his locker. The message was clear: we don't want you anymore. This wasn't the first time Juventus had said exactly that, having previously loaned him to Leeds United in the middle of the 2022-23 season.

We know what happened next. McKennie, once again, became a key player for Juve, putting together the best season of his career. He scored five goals in all competitions, tied for a career high, with three of those goals coming in the Champions League. By the end of the season, he'd established himself as a mainstay and an occasional captain.

So what can McKennie learn from his past that could alter his Juventus future? Keep his head down and be patient. It's worked for him in the past, as his willingness to play all over the field ultimately won him the trust of several coaches. This one, Tudor, seemingly doesn't trust him fully yet. That can change with one or two good performances.

There is one difference this time, though. Per Tuttosport, McKennie has decided to see out the remainder of his contract with Juventus, having not signed an extension that seemed so likely just a few months ago. According to reports, Juventus' new leadership cancelled that extension, leading to a scenario in which McKennie's days at Juve could actually be numbered.

That won't impact his immediate future, so long as Juventus believes he gives them the best chance at winning. For a club such as Juve, desperate to return to the top of Italian soccer, winning trumps all. If McKennie can add to that, he'll play. If not, he won't. Simple as.

That decision, ultimately, has an impact on the USMNT as the World Cup roster comes into focus.

It's been some time since we've seen McKennie in a USMNT shirt. Six months, in fact. He missed the Gold Cup due to Club World Cup commitments and was then left off of the September roster entirely. Mauricio Pochettino said it was because he knows what he has in McKennie. What does that mean going forward?

It's widely expected that McKennie will return to the USMNT this fall. He's too good not to. There are, however, questions, about his specific role, particularly in this new three-back system that only features two midfield spots. Tyler Adams is likely one of those, but is McKennie the other?

“Look, we know that Weston McKennie is not a perfect player,” former USMNT star Alexi Lalas said on his State of Union podcast. “We know that. I'm sure from a coaching perspective, Weston McKennie can be challenging, shall we say. But he's a gamer and he plays multiple positions and has consistently shown that he is valuable because of the fact that he is going to be there again, rarely hurt. So I'm going to knock on wood that that continues to happen."

The "challenging" part that Lalas referred to recently came to light. A report from FOX Sports revealed that McKennie came into pre-Copa America camp unfit and, despite the desires of his teammates, started all three games anyway. It's not the first time McKennie's dedication or professionalism have been a topi and, while he may or may not have seen it first hand, Pochettino is surely aware of it.

McKennie, then, is one of many players fighting for a spot at the World Cup.

"No one has a place for sure," Pochettino said. "That is my message, everyone needs to fight."

The USMNT's October roster is set to be unveiled next week. It remains to be seen if McKennie is on it. Even before that, though, Juve face a crucial stretch of matches that will show who they really are this season. 

Up first is this weekend, as they take on Atalanta in Serie A. Then comes a Champions League visit to Villarreal for the Old Lady's second match of the competition, having drawn Borussia Dortmund in an eight-goal thriller in their first. 

Then, just before the international break, Juve host Milan in a clash of two of Italy's biggest and best clubs. All three matches will be massive tests. All three will be opportunities, too, for McKennie - should he see the field.

Those matches, too, could offer some insight into Tudor's thoughts on the midfielder. Perhaps he has been saving him for the big occasions, which would explain McKennie's starts against Dortmund and Inter. Perhaps he is now finding his fitness after a unique Club World Cup-hit summer. If that's the case, we'll find out soon enough.

This is seemingly a crucial stretch for McKennie, for club and country. Once again, he's a player with a point to prove and, if history is anything to go by, he certainly has the ability and mentality to do so. Will he? That's up to him.