The U.S. men’s national team hasn’t faced a top European opponent since losing to the Netherlands at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, but Saturday’s friendly vs. Germany will provide head coach Gregg Berhalter and his players with a positive test to see where they’re at compared to others in the world.

Juventus and USMNT midfielder Weston McKennie is one of several current USMNT players that has previous experience playing in the German Bundesliga after spending five years at Schalke. McKennie will have the opportunity to face off against several of the Bundesliga’s current stars including Jamal Musiala, Thomas Muller, Joshua Kimmich, and Leroy Sane.

Although Germany has endured a rough calendar year, which led to the recent hiring of Julian Nagelsmann as manager in September, McKennie is looking forward to the competition.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for us,” McKennie said Wednesday in a press conference. “I think for us, we want to show that [we can] win games against these top-level teams, that we expect ourselves to win these games now, instead of just competing with them.

“I think it’s a great opportunity to kind of see where we’re at, and try and make that [vision] come true and win these type of games, because they’re the type of games that we have to win to advance the program forward, to advance ourselves forward, and to be successful in the coming years,” he added.

McKennie has had a rejuvenation at Juventus so far this season, especially considering the fact he was linked with an exit from the club most of the year. After watching Leeds United suffer English Premier League relegation last spring while on loan, McKennie returned to Massimiliano Allegri’s squad and since has been a key contributor through the opening eight Serie A matches.

McKennie has been used as a midfielder and wing back in Allegri’s set up, consistently rotating with fellow USMNT teammate Tim Weah. He most recently shuffled back into a central midfield role in a Turin Derby victory over Torino and now heads into USMNT camp with two new additional opportunities in front of him.

After overcoming adversity at Juventus, McKennie is ready to give even more to the club with two trophies up for grabs this season.

“I just really wanted to come come back into Juventus and wanted to come back and prove that I can hang at this level, that I can show myself and that I still deserve to play at a level like that,” McKennie said.

“Obviously, I’m not a player that shies away from people doubting me or shies away from challenges, so it was good to be able to come back and kind of prove that I still belong, that I can still play at that level,” he added.