In a week when he lamented a bias against United States men’s national team players in Europe, Weston McKennie did what he does best.

In adversity, the midfielder stood up to be counted and proved that you write him and his USMNT team-mates off at your peril.

Left on the bench, alongside compatriot Tim Weah, for their Italian club Juventus as they hosted Manchester City, the pair combined as second-half substitutes to help secure a statement win against Pep Guardiola’s side.

Only six minutes after their introduction to the contest, McKennie started a move by finding Weah and then burst into the box, before the latter sent a perfect cross to the back post for the Texan to volley spectacularly past Ederson.

U.S. version:

Scored in Torino, made in America! 🇮🇹🤝🇺🇸

Juve’s #USMNT duo combine for a goal to remember as Tim Weah sets up Weston McKennie 🪄 pic.twitter.com/ZaZsL3u7jY

— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) December 11, 2024

UK version:

Juventus double their lead over Man City 😳

📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/okSptReD23

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) December 11, 2024

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It made the score 2-0 against the reigning Premier League champions and created a slice of men’s Champions League history in the process.

It was the first time an American has assisted another American for a goal in Europe’s premier club competition. “There was a lovely, lazy confidence about the way Timothy Weah tossed it into the path of his fellow countryman,” said commentator Clive Tyldesley on Paramount +.

“I was falling over,” McKennie said post-match. “Nah, I’m just playing. We’ve seen it before, I did it also against Barcelona.”

There was a timely resonance to the moment, especially for McKennie, who spoke of his frustration at the perceived prejudice against American players in excerpts from a new Paramount + documentary about Christian Pulisic.

“There is definitely a bias,” said McKennie, who has had to prove himself to two different managers in the last two summers after appearing to be surplus to requirements in Turin. “I go through it most of the time when I’m at Juventus. Every year somehow I’m on the out and ready to be discarded, and every summer I’m like a new player coming in looking to make a name for myself.”

McKennie has only started three Champions League games out of a possible six for Juventus, and on Wednesday found himself initially benched with Weah, having recently recovered from muscle issues that had limited his involvement.

After the final whistle Juventus’ X account published a photograph of the pair with the caption ‘American connection’ and a stars and stripes emoji. The win moved Thiago Motta’s side up to 14th in the Champions League table and boosted their chances of automatic qualification for the last 16 of the tournament, with two fixtures of the initial league phase to go.

American connection 🇺🇸🔗#JuveManCity #UCL pic.twitter.com/kH18CKbUia

— JuventusFC 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@juventusfcen) December 11, 2024

It was a Champions League night which began inauspiciously for the Americans in Europe — with Christian Pulisic injured for Milan, striker Folarin Balogun sidelined for Monaco and McKennie and Weah on the bench. The previous evening, in-form striker Ricardo Pepi started on the bench as PSV lost to Brest, while Malik Tillman had a tough night in the same game.

Gio Reyna bucked that trend though, given his first start of the season in any competition for Borussia Dortmund in their home meeting with Barcelona.

Reyna started in midfield against the Catalan giants, a major upturn on his recent minimal game time from the bench in the Bundesliga, where his campaign to date has been ruined by groin problems.

A positive step for Gio Reyna despite Dortmund’s defeat to Barcelona (Photo by Lars Baron / Getty Images)

But the 22-year-old attacking midfielder played 73 minutes of a pulsating 3-2 defeat at Signal Iduna Park, in a sign he is ready to take on a more meaningful role in Nuri Sahin’s team going forward. Against Barcelona, no other Dortmund player made more passes into the final third than Reyna’s six, according to Fotmob.

He was back in the starting XI on the second anniversary of the start of a spectacular feud with former USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter that left a sour note on their relationship after the 2022 World Cup.

GO DEEPER

Gio Reyna apologized to U.S. teammates over his lack of effort, sources say

At the San Siro, Milan’s USMNT midfielder Yunus Musah was another who started for his team, as the Rossoneri ran out 2-1 winners against Red Star Belgrade.

But the headline grabber came in Turin, where there was a distinctly American touch to Manchester City’s latest struggle, and where the goal of the night might have done a little to ease that supposed stigma.

(Top photo: Valerio Pennicino / Getty Images)

Los Angeles Lakers head coach J.J. Redick said Thursday that LeBron James is away from the team due to “personal reasons.”

Redick called it an “excused absence,” as James’ status for Friday is up in the air – he was already dealing with a foot injury and missed Wednesday’s game, his first of the year.

Turning 40 later this month, it seems that Father Time may just be sneaking up on the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.

In fact, Redick admitted that James has felt “gassed” and the team feels they are mismanaging his minutes in his 22nd season. Redick also said James has asked to be taken out of a couple of games for some breaks.

“For us, we have to be cognizant as we play more and more games, just the cumulative effect of playing a lot of minutes and Sunday, being banged up with the foot thing, it felt like a good opportunity for him to get some rest,” Redick said.

James expressed a desire earlier this season to play in all 82 games, but both he and the Lakers are now being practical with the inevitable minor injuries that arise during any season.

While he already has six triple-doubles this season – including four-straight at one point – his 23.0 points per game are the lowest he’s posted since his rookie season, over 20 years ago with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) gestures to a teammate during the first half against the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena. (John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images)

UFC STAR COLBY COVINGTON BLASTS LEBRON JAMES FOR OLD ‘DIDDY PARTY’ COMMENT: ‘F—ING SCUMBAG’

James looks like his vintage self on the glass and passing; he’s averaging 8.0 rebounds and 9.1 assists per game, both over his career totals. However, his three-point shooting has taken a dip.

Through 15 games, he hit three-pointers at a career-best 43.0% clip. In his next seven, though, he hit just four of 34 and had missed 20 in a row. He did go 6 for 11 from deep in his last game, dropping 29 points, but that was just the second time he eclipsed 20 in his last seven games.

Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James celebrates a three-pointer against the Toronto Raptors during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Toronto on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024.  (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

The Lakers are on a 3-7 skid since their 10-4 start to the season, but Redick remains confident in their ability to fix the problems that have bedeviled them recently in offensive consistency and defensive intensity. Redick also said he has spoken frequently with James and Anthony Davis about the Lakers’ ability to stay mentally strong during bad stretches.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Four more weeks. That’s all New York City football fans must endure. Four more weeks, and this terrible, horrible, no good, very bad season from … will finally be over.

In case you’re someone who doesn’t live in New York — we don’t mean you, Buffalo, your Bills are great — or follow their wretched football teams here’s a snapshot of what’s been going on in the Big Apple lately:

The most interesting part of the New York Giants’ most recent game happened not on the field but in the sky when a fan flew an airplane over MetLife Stadium towing a banner that pleaded with the team co-owner John Mara to “plz fix this dumpster fire.”

The most interesting part of the New York Jets’ most recent game happened in the postgame locker room when star wide receiver Garrett Wilson wondered if losing is in the team’s DNA after the franchise missed the postseason for the 14th straight year.

Welcome to NFL football in New York. It’s a disaster.

At least some New Yorkers have Juan Soto to look forward to. (Sorry, Yankees fans).

So, what exactly has gone wrong? Pretty much everything.

The Jets thought they were a quarterback away from not only playoff contention but Super Bowl contention when they traded for Aaron Rodgers two offseasons ago. So far, that experiment could not have gone much worse. They are 3-10; the head coach was fired after a Week 5 loss; the general manager was fired during their bye week; and the team has somehow managed to lose five games where they had a lead in the fourth quarter. Wilson said after Sunday’s overtime loss to the Dolphins that the Jets are like Murphy’s Law: Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.

And they’re not even the worst team in New York.

At 2-11, the Giants are one game worse and are riding an eight-game losing streak with zero wins in the division or at MetLife Stadium. After a brutal 6-11 season in 2023, the Giants were supposed to show some progress in their third year under general manager Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll. Instead, things have been so bad that they released their starting quarterback — the one they’d very recently given a four-year, $160 million contract — in the middle of the season, while the rest of the roster has been decimated by injuries.

With postseason hopes dead before December, fan bases for both teams have already been turning their attention to the possibility of landing a top draft pick. For the record, the Giants currently sit at No. 2, according to Tankathon. The Jets would pick at No. 7.

But the future, of course, encompasses far more than just the draft, and we’re wondering which team has more work to do to turn things around. That requires an analysis of what needs to be fixed and who’s in charge of fixing it. For that, we turn to The Athletic’s Jets reporter Zack Rosenblatt and Giants reporter Charlotte Carroll. They discussed three of the biggest questions facing these franchises moving forward. After reading their answers, you can decide which New York Football team you think is the bigger mess.

Neither team has a franchise QB (and hasn’t for a while). Do the Giants or Jets have the better path to finding one?

Giants: Some of the only good news for Giants fans over the past few weeks has been that their draft positioning keeps getting better and better … because they keep losing. According to The Athletic’s NFL projection model, the Giants have a 46% chance of picking No. 1 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. However, their “hold” on a top pick in the draft is tenuous. Six teams, including the Jets, have three wins, and if the Giants joined them, they could fall down the board due to the strength of schedule tiebreaker.

But if the Giants do secure a top pick, they’ll have a chance to select one of the draft’s best quarterbacks. Right now, that looks like Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Miami’s Cam Ward. Some evaluators believe neither is worthy of a top pick, but the Giants are going to be feeling the pressure to find their next franchise QB. Patience might not be an option. Maybe it works out, and they get their guy. Or maybe they’re right back where they started after over-drafting Daniel Jones in 2019.

No matter what the Giants do in the draft, however, they’ll need to add a veteran bridge quarterback in free agency. Drew Lock, a free agent at season’s end, hasn’t shown enough to be that player. The same goes for Tommy DeVito, an exclusive rights free agent who can be brought back on a minimum salary. The Giants will want the option of letting their top pick sit and learn rather than having to force him into the starter’s role from Day 1. And if the Giants don’t end up getting a quarterback, they’ll need a capable starter who can keep the offense afloat until the following offseason.

Jets: Certainly not the Jets. Rodgers is under contract for 2025, but as of now, it seems highly unlikely that he will return in 2025 — especially since his return would trigger a $35 million option bonus in 2026. The Jets will need to lose out (or close to it) to truly get into the mix for one of the top quarterbacks in this year’s draft, and none of these prospects are viewed as can’t-miss players. Unless the new GM has a sneaky trade up his sleeve, there are not exactly many appealing options in free agency — and no, Sam Darnold won’t be returning. Most likely, the Jets roll with Tyrod Taylor (or another bridge quarterback) before handing the keys off to someone else down the line — whether that’s a rookie in this draft class or a future one.

OK, excluding quarterback, which roster has the most heavy lifting to do to become playoff-caliber?

Giants: My beat partner, Dan Duggan, delivered a great, in-depth breakdown of the Giants’ building blocks. But the synopsis is this: While there are some high-quality players on the roster, they don’t have nearly enough to feel good about the foundation. As Duggan noted, in three years, Schoen hasn’t drafted or signed a single Pro Bowler.

Now, there are encouraging signs from rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers, running back Tyrone Tracy, safety Tyler Nubin and cornerback Dru Phillips. But the Giants will need to once again invest in the offensive line after going veteran-heavy this offseason. Right guard Greg Van Roten is 34 years old and on a one-year deal, while stopgap right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor is signed for just one more season. The lack of depth on the defensive line has been exposed with injuries to Dexter Lawrence, Rakeem Nunez-Roches and D.J. Davidson. Plus, cornerback has been a weak spot due to uneven play and injuries.

Assuming the Giants emerge with a top pick and don’t fall in love with any of the quarterbacks, they could go the route of trading down, collecting more draft picks and filling out the roster that way. The team also isn’t in bad shape in terms of cap space, with about $58 million next year, according to Over The Cap, so they could plug some holes through free agency.

Jets: The Jets already have a playoff-caliber roster — maybe not as much as I would’ve argued they did a year ago, but they have a core of talent that makes the job opening more appealing than many people are giving them credit for. This is the best offensive line Joe Douglas has assembled in his six years — low bar, but true — and four of the five starters are young and under contract for 2025: Olu Fashanu, John Simpson, Joe Tippmann and Alijah Vera-Tucker.

Running back Breece Hall and wide receiver Garrett Wilson are two talented, young players to build an offense around — and on defense, they’ll bring back a solid core, including cornerback Sauce Gardner, defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, linebackers Quincy Williams and Jermaine Johnson, edge Will McDonald and safety Michael Carter II. There are plenty of holes to fill on this roster, but the Jets are starting with a good baseline of talent.

Neither ownership group is faring very well with their respective fan bases right now. Which one is better positioned to turn things around the quickest?

Giants: Mara craves stability — something this franchise hasn’t had in a long time. In October, the team co-owner said the Giants were not making any in-season changes and that he did not anticipate making any changes in the offseason either. That was six losses ago. Have things changed?

We’re going to find out. The big question for Giants ownership is whether they will stick with Schoen and Daboll or if they’re going to have to start over again. A new head coach would be the Giants’ fifth in a decade, while a new GM would be the Giants’ third since 2017. The decision will obviously have huge ramifications, not the least of which will be whoever in charge will get to select the franchise’s next starting quarterback.

Jets: Historically, you’re better off banking on the Giants turning things around quicker than the Jets — though neither ownership has had a particularly sterling resume in recent years. The biggest difference is Woody Johnson’s involvement — he has more of a hand in the Jets decision-making than Mara does for the Giants, at least on the surface, and until that changes, the Jets are going to have a hard time getting to a place where they’re consistently making the playoffs. If Johnson is willing to turn the keys of the organization over to a general manager and let him run the show, then the Jets can get back on track sooner than later.

OK, we’ve laid it all out for you. Now it’s time for you to choose. Which team is the bigger mess?

(Photos of Woody Johnson and John Mara: Matthew Stockman and Rich Schultz / Getty Images)