Weston McKennie has reacted to Jonathan David’s Panenka penalty woe at Juventus, with the USMNT star also discussing his new role in the Bianconeri’s plans. The Turin-based giants endured a frustrating outing against Lecce at the start of 2026, as they were held to a 1-1 draw, with Canada international forward David fluffing his lines from the spot.
McKennie goal: American on target before David penalty nightmare
Juve fell behind on home soil, with Lameck Banda breaking the deadlock in first-half stoppage time. It was McKennie that restored parity within four minutes of the restart, with the versatile American registering his third goal of the season across all competitions and first in Serie A.
David really should have ensured that Juve ended the contest with three points to their name, rather than one, but endured a nightmare from 12 yards. He attempted to dink a penalty down the middle, but failed to get under the ball and scuffed straight into Lecce keeper Wladimiro Falcone.
No blame: Canadian forward David lacking confidence
The Canadian frontman has, unsurprisingly, come in for criticism from Juventus supporters. Those working alongside him will not, however, be pointing any fingers when it comes to opening the new year with two dropped points.
McKennie told reporters: “He doesn’t have to apologise to the team. This is football. We have to support him and keep his head up. He shouldn’t think about it anymore, hopefully he’ll score in the next match.”
David has mustered just three goals for Juve since joining them in the summer of 2025, with his only effort in Serie A coming way back on August 24. Bianconeri boss Luciano Spalletti said of the 25-year-old, who is still finding his feet in Italy: “David is in good shape, he is a top professional who is able to get into the move no matter what area of the pitch he is in. It’s disappointing he isn’t at the moment confident enough to show all his quality, but he can be a top finisher in the box. He has what it takes to be an incredible marksman.”
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Dropped points: McKennie trying to stay upbeat
Juve are looking to others for an attacking spark at present, with McKennie among those to have been pushed into more advanced positions. The American has operated in defence, the engine room and as a deep-lying forward across recent campaigns.
He said when asked about being deployed as a No.10: “It’s not a new position for me. I’m always available for the coach and the team and I try to give 100 percent wherever I play. I like the trequartista role because you can help both defensively and offensively.”
Juve ended 2025 with a run of four successive victories, but are now fourth in the table and five points back on leaders AC Milan. McKennie is refusing to read too much into a disjointed display against Lecce.
He added: “I don’t think this match should scare us. We played a good game. We were missing the final pass and penalties can be missed by anyone. That’s football, you have to move on and focus on the next match. Matches like this can help you move up the table, so of course you feel a bit frustrated. But you can’t think about missed chances. You have to keep going forward.”
Serie A title race: Juve in the mix as McKennie’s contract runs down
Spalletti told DAZN of seeing his team stumble into January, with the odd question being asked of the pack shuffling that he has been overseeing: “Juventus must have respect for our opponents, for our fans, for our history, so that means we focus on ourselves and not changing our approach based on who we are facing. Lecce deserve to be here playing in this atmosphere because they worked the right way.”
Juventus have six more games to come in a busy January, starting with a trip to Sassuolo on Tuesday. They are still in the title race, while also competing in the Champions League, and McKennie is facing some big decisions on his future – ahead of a home World Cup with the USMNT this summer – as his contract runs down towards free agency.
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