McKenzie transfer is finalized to Belgian club »
Mark McKenzie politely asked the assembled media to hang on for a moment while he fiddled with his Zoom settings. The reason, in his final media availability as a member of the Philadelphia Union, was to load the right virtual backdrop, one that read, “Forever Philly”.
As much as the 21-yearold’s opening statement – addressing Wednesday’s insurrection at the U.S. Capitol as being, “a prime example of just how much work we have to do, a prime example of ignorance and privilege” – McKenzie’s choice of background exemplified the player the Union bid farewell to.
McKenzie’s transfer to Belgian club KRC Genk was finalized Thursday, a second transfer of a Homegrown Player in the last year.
The deal includes a multimillion transfer fee, reportedly in the neighborhood of the $6 million received for Brenden Aaronson from Red Bull Salzburg in October. That was a record for an Americanbased MLS Homegrown. As with Aaronson, the Union retain a portion of McKenzie’s future sales from Genk.
The two transfers put the Union in rarefied air among
MLS developmental pathways.
“I think it’s another milestone for the Union, selling the second Homegrown for a really good price,” sporting director Ernst Tanner said. “I think after all of what we did over the course of this season and in particular how the player was developing, not only on the field but also off field with all the measures he’s doing for the Black Players community, etc., I’m very happy for him and I think it’s a reason to be really proud for all of us, in particular the ownership who is supporting our youth development for almost a decade, and now we are finalizing the product.
“It’s just another proof of concept. There is still more to come.”
In the tumult of 2020, McKenzie went from a promising prospect to one of MLS’s top defenders. A Best XI pick and MLS Defender of the Year finalist, McKenzie played 22 league games, the team’s minutes leader on the way to the Supporters’ Shield, the Union’s first trophy. McKenzie backstopped MLS’s stingiest defense, conceding 20 goals in 23 league games and 25 in 27 games in all competitions.
He added two goals and three assists, the first of his MLS career. As a speedy leftfooted defender, his distribution sets him apart as a highceiling commodity.
McKenzie has been capped twice by the United States, both in 2020. He was not included in the January camp roster released this week, a nod to the pending move.
McKenzie has also grown as a person, something coach Jim Curtin emphasized. The Delaware native, who’s been with the organization since age 10 save for one fall at Wake Forest, took a leading role in the club’s imprint on the Black Players for Change group. He’s looking forward to a bigger role in the fight against racism on the European stage, with players like Manchester City goalie Zack Steffen.
“It’s been a tough year for everybody, but for myself personally, it’s been a year that has challenged me in more ways that I could’ve imagined,” McKenzie said. “… I think it really taught me a lesson of sitting down with myself and really getting to know who I am and what my goals are, what my dreams are, where am I in my development as a person and a player, what do I really stand for. I spent a lot of time praying and coming to grips with where I’m at and where I want to be.”
“There is no player that is more deserving, that has worked harder, that has had this dream since he was a 10-year-old boy in Union Juniors,” Curtin said. “For this day to come, it’s truly special for Mark. … Everybody sees the Mark McKenzie on the field for the 90 minutes and just how special his is when he plays for the Union or the U.S. National Team. But very few get to see the influence he has in our locker room, the growth that he showed this year, being such a voice for social change in this country at a time when it was very much needed. For a young kid, I’m as proud of him for what he did off the field as on this season.”
Genk offers McKenzie a chance to play in a league with a strong developmental track record. Genk, a fourtime league champion (last in 2018-19) sits second in the Jupiler League. Its coach, former Dutch international John van den Brom, spent five years at AZ Alkmaar, hired by former Union sporting director Earnie Stewart in 2014.
The club is a regular participant in European soccer, making the UEFA Champions League group stage on three occasions. Most of their European experience has been in the Europa League.
Genk has been an important stopover from a number of European stars. It was the first club of Manchester City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne, the Belgian regarded as one of the best in the world. MLS MVP Alejandro Pozuelo spent four years there. Napoli center back Kalidou Kou
libaly and Bayer Leverkusen winger Leon Bailey both saw their games develop at Genk.
It’s a club that emphasizes development, in a country positioned as a feeder to the continent’s largest leagues.
“I’ve always known about Genk,” McKenzie said. “I keep in touch with European football as a whole. Ultimately, when they came in and expressed interest, I was excited because I know about their background and their history, in terms of being a club that transfer players. They develop them, mature them and ultimately transfer them onto the next level. I think that was promising for me and exciting for me.”
The fee will be useful for the Union in having to replace a pair of Best XI players. That both McKenzie and Aaronson
tasted success before they left Chester made the sales easier, Tanner said, and it’s why Curtin referred to McKenzie as “a Union legend.”
The growth on parallel tracks, as a player and as a young man, is what has McKenzie equipped to succeed in this next step.
“I wanted to be new animal. I wanted to be a beast,” McKenzie said. “I wanted to set the tone for the rest of the year, because nothing is guaranteed, and we learned that lesson this year, so making sure that each time I step on the pitch, each time I have the opportunity to play this game that I love, I’m going to make sure that they know I’m there, that I’m here to play and I’m not playing games. I’m here to take my game to the next level and ultimately achieve my dreams.”