Weston McKennie marked his second game back from suspension in style for Bundesliga side Schalke.
The U.S. Men’s National Team midfielder headed home his second goal in the last three weeks. McKennie’s finish gave Schalke a lifeline against Eintracht Frankfurt, but David Wagner’s side eventually fell 2-1 on the road. After going down 2-0 on the road, Schalke had to dig deep and McKennie’s brilliant header pulled them to within one.
Alessandro Schopf’s free kick was finished by McKennie, who looped a header back into the right side of the goal. Overall it was the midfielder’s third league goal this season.
Weston McKennie! ? ??
That’s 2 @Bundesliga_EN goals in 3 weeks for the American, and @s04_us are back in it at Frankfurt. pic.twitter.com/i0AqtrB2wb
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 17, 2020
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Schalke’s comeback efforts took a hit though in the 77th minute when Can Bozdogan picked up a second yellow card in the second-half. Ultimately the team suffered its 11th league defeat of the season, which saw their winless run extend to 13 matches in all competitions.
As for McKennie, the goal was just one of his impressive moments. Despite losing 13 of his 16 duels, the 21-year-old completed 96% of his passes and made nine recoveries in the hear of Schalke’s midfield.
The win for Frankfurt sees them leapfrog Schalke into ninth place and move four points out of the final Europa League qualification spot. Fellow American Timmy Chandler played the final nine minutes as a late substitute for Adolf Hutter’s side.
Both teams are back in action on Saturday as Schalke hosts Wolfsburg while Eintracht Frankfurt visits Cologne.
McKennie almost scored at the beginning of the last game, as he blistered a shot so hard the keeper could only instinctively protect himself. It’s pretty clear, he’s been trying to score because Schalke is in desperate need of goalscorers.