Schalke and United States midfielder Weston McKennie is convinced that his country can qualify for the 2022 World Cup despite their failure to reach the 2018 edition of the tournament. The United States suffered a shock blow last year after they failed to reach the World Cup for the first time since 1986 but there have since been plenty of positives in terms of their performances.
“I’m completely convinced that we’ll be back in 2022. We’re a hungry group who understand each other very well. A lot of our players are at big clubs and gaining important experience. Personally, I think upcoming games in the Champions League will help me to grow even more as a player and a person,” he said.
At present, McKennie is among the quartet of four young USA internationals including Bobby Wood, Josh Sargent and Christian Pulisic plying their trade in the Bundesligaand the trio are certainly very much talented after starring during the 1-1 friendly draw against France in June, just a month before Les Bleus were crowned as the world champions.
Meanwhile, McKennie has suggested that he is unfazed by his situation at Schalke despite the recent recruitment of Omar Mascarell and Suat Serdar. The duo have joined the German giants to replace Leon Goretzka and Max Meyer respectively but McKennie should nevertheless offer strong competition for a berth at the heart of the midfield. Schalke begin their Bundesliga campaign with an away game at Wolfsburg on August 25.