Mark McKenzie begins huge year for his future with the Union and U.S. national team

Mark McKenzie turned 21 on Tuesday, a milestone that has the potential to be about much more than a postgame beer in the locker room. This year is the biggest of the Union centerback’s life on the field, too.

His name is in ink in the Union’s starting lineup. He will be a key piece of the U.S. Olympic team in next month’s qualifying tournament, as the American men aim to return to the Games for the first time since 2008. If he goes to Tokyo, he will be on a huge stage.

And if everything really goes right, he could be gone by the end of the year.

Yes, McKenzie signed a new multi-year contract in January, with guarantees through 2022. But don’t assume that means he’ll be here that long. You can be sure European scouts watched McKenzie start in eight of the Union’s last nine games last season. He played every minute of six of those games, including all of the playoffs. They also watched him last spring in the under-20 World Cup.

Those scouts will light up Union sporting director Ernst Tanner’s phone if McKenzie plays as well this year as a whole lot of people think he can. He’s the leading candidate to be the first Union academy product sold to Europe.

U.S. men’s national team coach Gregg Berhalter is among the believers. Berhalter gave McKenzie his first senior U.S. national team cap at the start of February after watching the Bronx native closely in 2019.

“He started to get a starting lineup position, and now he needs to continue to push through with that," Berhalter said. "For him, the focus is on how do I perform the best possible, at the highest possible level, and the most consistent level for my club, that I can now get into the picture permanently for the national team? It is a big year for Mark to to establish that consistency.”

That last part might be easier said than done, though, because of how long McKenzie will be away from the Union. He’s likely to miss at least two games in March for Olympic qualifying and could miss four across July and August if he’s on the final tournament squad.

“It picks up on you,” he said, “but I think it’s a matter of just keeping your head in the same spot, the same head space, just trying to stay focused on the controllables at the end of the day.”

McKenzie’s efforts are clear from up close and afar. An example is how he treated his senior national team debut.

“Getting the cap is an incredible experience,” he said. “It adds more confidence to you, but I don’t want to say it pushes you too high, because then you start to lose yourself and you ultimately become complacent.”

He’s also doing his best to block out the chatter about his potential. But he knows it’s out there, and knows about the doors that might open for him this year.

“You can’t look too far into the future — you lose sight of what’s tomorrow,” he said. “It’s a lot going on, and I’m aware of it. … But at the same time, you know, [I’m] just focusing on getting better each day here and helping put together wins throughout the season.”

McKenzie is a natural leader on the field, not afraid to raise his voice when warranted. It’s not always warranted when you’re a young player, but with this Union team, McKenzie is welcome to do it.

“Mark’s a good example of someone who can step up, has the experience of playing in the playoffs, winning in the playoffs, going away to the national team,” manager Jim Curtin said. "Obviously Ale [Bedoya] is our captain and he’s our leader and he’s great at it, but it’s not like we just have one voice in our locker room. I think everybody feels like they can open up and contribute, whether you’re young or old.

He is also finding his voice off the field, using his social media platforms to bring attention to social causes — especially those relating to racism in sports.

“As much as we are athletes, I think we also have a platform to speak up and to use our voices to speak for those who may not have a voice, or those voices [who] may be silenced in certain occasions,” he said. “I was raised in a household where my parents raised me to be confident and to know who I am. … As much stuff is going on, I choose my times when to pop in, but I think it’s important.”

Expect to hear from him a lot more, in many ways, over the course of this year.