Timnas AS Andalkan Weston McKennie Hadapi Bosnia-Herzegovina di Piala Dunia 2026

Tim nasional sepak bola putra Amerika Serikat bersiap menghadapi Bosnia-Herzegovina dalam laga babak 32 besar Piala Dunia 2026 di Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California, pada Rabu malam waktu setempat untuk mengejar target bersejarah.

Dua pemain asal Texas, gelandang Weston McKennie dan penyerang Ricardo Pepi, menjadi pilar penting setelah tampil apik membawa tim asuhan Mauricio Pochettino lolos dari fase grup. Dilansir dari cw39.com, McKennie yang lahir di Little Elm kini bermain untuk Juventus, sementara Pepi yang berasal dari El Paso membela PSV Eindhoven.

McKennie menjadi satu-satunya pemain yang selalu menjadi starter dalam tiga laga grup dan menjadi motor serangan tim. Bek Sergino Dest memberikan penilaian mengenai kontribusi besar rekan setimnya tersebut dalam menjaga keseimbangan permainan.

"I think he's really important for us," ujar Sergino Dest, bek Amerika Serikat. "He's kind of a box-to-box player. He runs a lot.

He helps a lot. He goes into the duels with all his efforts so that's really helpful for the team because that's also something we need. We need balance and I feel like we have a lot of different type of players and he's just a really important player for us."

Kematangan McKennie di dalam lapangan juga diakui oleh para pemain lain berkat pengalamannya di Italia. Bek senior Tim Ream menjelaskan bagaimana fleksibilitas posisi McKennie di klub membantu pemahaman taktiknya.

"To be completely honest, being moved around at his club the way he has and playing the different positions, I think it gives him a better understanding of what each position requires so when he's playing as a whatever you want to call it, he understands what is needed from him," kata Tim Ream, bek Amerika Serikat. "Also, he understands how to put other guys in better positions to be able to succeed and do their jobs. I say with, with a lot of the group – especially in training, if it's allowed, try to go into different areas, different positions to understand what it is that your teammate needs in those moments so obviously I think just a more complete understanding of the game and the players around him in the positions."

Selain kemampuan teknis, pemain berusia 27 tahun itu dikenal sebagai sosok jenaka yang menghidupkan suasana ruang ganti serta membimbing para pemain muda seperti Alex Freeman dan Folarin Balogun. Balogun mengungkapkan rasa bangganya terhadap perkembangan kepemimpinan sang gelandang.

"I think Weston's really matured," kata Folarin Balogun, penyerang Amerika Serikat. "I think this is his best club season as well and I think he's brought that all into international level. I'm very, very proud of Weston and the strides he's made and think he's definitely turned into more of a senior leader within our team and he continues to lead in different ways.

He's somebody who makes the energy good in camp. He's somebody who talks to everyone, makes sure everyone's comfortable. I think on the pitch as well, you can see in the games we've played, he's had a real impact."

Performa impresif ini juga mendapat pujian langsung dari sang pelatih kepala. Mauricio Pochettino menegaskan bahwa kerja keras McKennie di Juventus telah membentuknya menjadi pemain yang sangat bertalenta.

"I think he deserves the full credit because the talent that he has and the capacity, the quality, I think it's him. It's because of him, because if we go back, all that he earned in Juventus," tutur Mauricio Pochettino, pelatih kepala Amerika Serikat. "In one press conference, I say, it's him and 10 more playing in Juventus and [he's] playing [at] right back, midfielder, striker.

I think [he] only needs to play like a goalkeeper but it's him. It's him. [In] the end, he realized in some moments, 'I can do."

Di sisi lain, laporan sports.yahoo.com menyebutkan bahwa kehadiran McKennie di pusat latihan Irvine, California, selalu diwarnai aksi jenaka, mulai dari mengganggu wawancara rekan setimnya hingga menjahili Balogun di pesawat. Rekan setimnya, Max Arfsten, mengonfirmasi karakter unik sang gelandang tersebut.

"Good guy, kind of a clown," kata Max Arfsten, pemain Amerika Serikat. "That's all I can say, really."

Meskipun Pochettino sempat dikritik karena memainkan McKennie selama 86 menit dalam laga pamungkas grup melawan Turki yang sudah tidak menentukan, sang pemain tetap bugar untuk laga fase gugur ini. Pemenang dari pertandingan melawan Bosnia-Herzegovina dijadwalkan menghadapi Belgia atau Senegal pada hari Senin di Seattle.