USMNT, Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie tests positive for COVID-19

Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie has tested positive for the coronavirus.

The club says the rest of the squad will go back into isolation.

Juventus says “this procedure will allow all persons negative to the controls to carry out regular training and match activities but will not allow contact with people outside of the group.”

The Juventus players and staff were isolating at the club’s hotel until last week after two staff members tested positive for COVID-19.

McKennie, a 22-year-old native of suburban Dallas, joined Juventus at the end of August. He is the first American to play for the Italian team.

His positive test announcement came a day after teammate Cristiano Ronaldo tested positive while with Portugal’s national team. Ronaldo traveled on a “medical flight” from Lisbon to Turin on Wednesday to finish his isolation period.

» READ MORE: Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo tests positive for COVID-19

“Cristiano Ronaldo returned to Italy with a medical flight authorised by the competent health authorities at the request of the player and will continue his fiduciary isolation at his home,” Juventus said in a statement.

The 35-year-old Ronaldo had been separated from the rest of the Portugal group after testing positive for COVID-19 on Monday. He was said to be asymptomatic and in good health condition.

Ronaldo tested positive two days before the team’s Nations League match against Sweden in Lisbon. He was dropped from the squad after another test on Tuesday confirmed the positive result. He had played in the Nations League match against France on Sunday, and against Spain in a friendly last week.

No one else in the Portuguese squad had tested positive ahead of Wednesday’s match against Sweden. The Portuguese soccer federation showed images of the players walking while wearing masks on Wednesday. Two other Portugal players, José Fonte and Anthony Lopes, tested positive for COVID-19 recently.

Before the Monday test result was known, Ronaldo posted a photo on Twitter and Instagram showing him and the rest of the Portugal squad having a meal together. The players were all close to each other at a table, with a smiling Ronaldo apparently taking the photo at the front end.

Ronaldo and McKennie are almost certain to miss Juventus' Serie A match at Crotone on Saturday and its Champions League opener at Dynamo Kyiv on Tuesday. Depending on future tests, they coul also miss the much-anticipated Champions League home game against against Barcelona on Oct. 28. On paper, it pits Ronaldo against rival superstar Lionel Messi of Barcelona, and McKennie against Barcelona’s American outside back Sergiño Dest.

Inquirer staff writer Jonathan Tannenwald contributed to this report.