McKennie got the soccer bug in Germany while living there with his American serviceman father.
His form for Schalke alerted Italian giants Juventus and the Turin club signed McKennie on a year-long loan in August 2020. The fee agreed was €4.5million with an option of a permanent transfer for €25.5million.
McKennie made 96 appearances and scored 13 goals for Juventus before joining Leeds on loan in January 2023 until the end of the season, with a view to a permanent move.
His love for soccer was cemented with a visit by the USMNT to Kaiserslautern in 2006. McKennie posed for photos with Landon Donovan and Carlos Bocanegra before the friendly with Poland, played largely in front of personnel from his father's military base.
After three years in Germany, McKennie's family returned home to Texas and he joined the reputed FC Dallas Academy in 2009. For a time, McKennie juggled both football and soccer but his success with FC Dallas meant choosing the round ball was an easy decision.
McKennie spent seven years playing for the FC Dallas Academy after joining as a 10-year-old. During those years he picked up two Development Academy Championships and was named Under-17/18 Central Conference Player of the Year in 2016.
"You could tell right away he had what it takes - the mentality, the physical qualities, his ability on the ball. You could see it, even at 16 and 17," said former FC Dallas clubmate Walker Zimmerman to mlssoccer.com
McKennie joined Schalke's U-19 team, working with the highly rated youth coach Norbert Elgert. McKennie had found the right environment to continue the good development work he had received in America, at the German club that produced the likes of Mesut Ozil and Julian Draxler.
McKennie made his Schalke debut on the last day of the Bundesliga season in May 2017 versus Ingolstadt 04.
The 2017/18 season proved an incredible learning season for McKennie, playing 22 times for the Royal Blues as they finished second in the Bundesliga to Bayern Munich.
McKennie made his Champions League debut on September 18, 2018, setting up Breel Embolo for his goal with a cute pass in the 1-1 draw.
His first Bundesliga goal for Schalke came three days later with a close-range left-footed volley in a 2-0 win over Fortuna Dusseldorf.
The 2019/20 season saw McKennie establishing himself as one of the first names on the Schalke team sheet, making his 50th appearance for the Veltins Arena club on August 31, 2019.
There were rumours of interest from Hertha Berlin and Southampton in England but McKennie's destination was sealed when Juventus entered the chase.
On January 24, 2021 McKennie hit the headlines with a Harry Potter celebration after capping a fine showing v Bologna with a headed goal in the 2-0 win. McKennie mimed casting a spell with a magic wand and it looked as if he had powers of invisibility to slip his defender and nod home from a 71st-minute corner.
After impressing for FC Dallas' development academy set-up, McKennie was brought into the Youth National Team programmes at under-14 level.
He rose through to the U-19s where he shined as captain for the USA in the 2016 Slovakia Cup. The USA beat Russia 2-1 in the final and McKennie was named Player of the Tournament.
His USMNT debut came on November 14, 2017 against Portugal where he made it onto the scoresheet. McKennie cut inside and slotted the ball home in the 20th minute as the USA drew 1-1 with Portugal in Leiria.
The 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup allowed McKennie to showcase his skills, scoring in both the quarter-finals against Curacao and the semi-finals against Jamaica.
In October 2019 McKennie scored the fastest hat-trick from kick-off in modern USMNT history. He netted in the first, fifth and 13th minutes to secure the landmark trio of goals as his team routed Cuba 7-0.
In 2021, McKennie was again called up to the USMNT for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. He featured in the goalless draw to El Salvador, but was then swarmed with controversy and was suspended from the side after reportedly breaking Covid-19 regulations.
He has a couple of longstanding friends in soccer in the form of team-mates Christian Pulisic and Tyler Adams.
Away from soccer, McKennie enjoys music, walking his dog and playing the video game Fortnite.
In May 2020, McKennie took to the field for Schalke wearing a 'Justice For George' armband in memory of George Floyd, the African-American who died in police custody that month.
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