Taylor Twellman reacts after Weston McKennie was suspended from the USMNT following the 1-1 draw against Canada. (1:17).
Gregg Berhalter, the national team manager, sent Weston McKennie home for violating the team's coronavirus protocols. McKennie also spent a night outside the COVID-19 bubble in Nashville. Sources told ESPN that McKennie also brought an unauthorized individual back into the bubble to his hotel room.
McKennie was the first to report on McKennie's hotel room incident. It was first reported by TUDN's podcast "Hablamos Soccer".
McKennie was removed from Sunday's draw against Canada in a World Cup qualifying match for what Berhalter called a "violation" of team policy. This was after McKennie was seen participating in Saturday's last training session at Nissan Stadium. McKennie posted later on his Instagram that he had been suspended for violating COVID-19 policy. He was then dismissed by the national team.
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Sources confirmed that McKennie was suspended by Berhalter and sent back to Juventus before Wednesday's World Cup qualifier in Honduras.
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the issue of possible infection has been a concern to U.S. Soccer. Christian Pulisic, an attacker who was still playing for club Chelsea, tested positive for COVID-19 on Aug. 18. Since the team started to meet on Aug. 29, two members of the U.S. delegation, including Zack Steffen, the Manchester City goalkeeper, have tested positive for COVID-19. U.S. Soccer announced Steffen's positive test at the same time as Steffen's announcement. They stated that all staff members and players had tested negative since then.
McKennie's behavior off the field has been a concern for both club and country. Andrea Pirlo, then-manager of Juventus, suspended McKennie after he tested positive for COVID-19 in October. He was hosting a party with Arthur and Paulo Dybala, a teammate.
The team's preparations for Wednesday’s match have been hampered by McKennie's news. In Sunday's match against Canada the U.S. team suffered McKennie's absence, their second consecutive draw in World Cup qualifying.
