If you’re a soccer fan, especially one who keeps an eye on things over in the English Premier League and even Europe, you’ll likely be familiar with Weston McKennie. The US-born soccer star is known for his versatility and has had a few different positions in his time with the game, but he’s now on his way to Leeds United thanks to a long-term loan from his current club, Juventus.
The midfielder has, as of this morning, completed his medical tests and looks set to sign the deal ahead of an official announcement. Finance-wise, it’s an impressive deal with McKennie having a €1.2m loan fee, a €33m buy option, and a few add-ons making the potential full fee €40m according to Fabrizio Romana. What we really love about the whole thing though, is how great the Leeds United away shirt looks, and how it bears an uncanny resemblance to the US team’s kit.
Leeds United FC Men’s Away Football Shirt
Style Is International
It’s no real surprise though, as there’s a growing trend of having American soccer professionals over on the other side of the pond in the UK. In fact, Leeds United is actually coached by Jesse Marsch, who’s another American-born Soccer pro, and actually used to be a midfielder himself. He’s been coaching Leeds United since early 2022, and while it’s gone okay, the team are currently fighting relegation with all they have trying to stay up in the English Premier League.
Despite those trials, there’s now a bit of a running joke saying that Leeds United feels a lot like Team USA. That’s thanks to Tyler Adams and Brenden Aaronson also being part of Team USA, and they’ve been playing a pivotal role in a lot of the wins the team has managed this season. With McKennie on the books to join too, that’s a fair showing for the US on a team in the UK.
Between the influx of American players and coaches, and the likes of Welcome To Wrexham, things have never been so heavily US in the EPL. If you’ve not seen Welcome to Wrexham, it’s the documentary series that tells the story of Wrexham A.F.C. a Welsh football club that is now owned by Rob McElhenney of It’s Always Sunny in Philidelphia fame, and Ryan Reynolds of, “we need a hot sarcastic man in this film” fame. It’s fair to say that a lot of Americans are paying a little bit more attention and watching Premier League football matches.
It’s not a new phenomenon though, as Fulham, another EPL team, actually has a lead goal scorer called Clinton Dempsey, who is also an American pro. All of this adds together, and in fact, we’d wager that all of this could be the reason that the Leeds United away kit looks so much like an inverted take on the Team USA away jersey. We actually prefer the Leeds jersey, so maybe today’s a good day to grab one for yourself? If you’d rather keep it more traditional, then maybe grab yourself this cool football flask instead.