"My time at Juve has been a rollercoaster of emotions. But I have always felt at home here and I have always felt like I belonged here," McKennie said. "I could have taken the easy way out when Juventus wanted to sell me a year and a half ago. In the moment they wanted to sell me I could have said: 'Ok, you don't want me here, I'm leaving.' But I knew I could play in this team and could return to being a starter. I knew it wouldn't be a simple path: maybe sitting on the bench, training very hard every day. But I was willing to do it. Sometimes you have to understand that things are not always easy and are not given to you. When you have your back to the wall, you can't go back anymore. You can only go forward."
McKennie has often been a lightning rod for criticism from sections of the Juventus fanbase and online trolls, particularly regarding his physical condition and lifestyle. The USMNT star addressed these comments head-on, suggesting that many of the harsh words directed at him through social media platforms do not reflect the reality of his professional output on the pitch or his personality off it.
"I think if people had time to really get to know me, many of the things they write online they would never say in person. For example, the theme of weight is not a secret, it is something that has been talked about. For a long time, I managed to 'get away with it' because I was young and I can run so much. Usually, I am the one who runs the most in matches," he noted.