Weston McKennie remains one of the brightest midfielders in the U.S. Men’s National Team pool, but Schalke continues to experiment with the 19 year old in a different role.
McKennie started and played 45 minutes at centerback on Wednesday as Schalke took on Southampton in China for a preseason friendly. McKennie started with several first team regulars, including Ralf Fahrmann, Yevhen Konoplyanka and Nabil Bentaleb.
Ladies and Gentlemen, your centre back for today 💪💙 #S04inChina🇨🇳 #SchalkeUS🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/oRSq9OajTR
— Schalke 04 USA🇺🇸 (@s04_us) July 5, 2018
The USMNT midfielder experimented at centerback in January before injury issues impacted the second half of the season. In total, McKennie made 23 appearances for the club last season.
McKennie and Schalke went into halftime level at one apiece before a new lineup emerged for the second half. The match ended as a 3-3 draw.