USA's McKennie Omitted From Juventus vs. Torino as Punishment for Hosting Party

U.S. men's national team midfielder Weston McKennie is among three Juventus players who will miss this Saturday's match against city rival Torino after he hosted a party in violation of local coronavirus protocols.

McKennie held a party on Wednesday at his home along with Paulo Dybala and Arthur, with about 20 others reportedly in attendance. They're facing fines from local police for breaking the restrictions, which have outlawed parties throughout the pandemic. Curfew in the country has been set between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., and police were reportedly called to McKennie's residence at around 11:30 p.m. 

"The three players involved will not play tomorrow, and we will see when they resume work with the team," Juventus manager Andrea Pirlo said in his brief prematch comments on Friday. "From now on let's just talk about the match. I don't want to have anything more to do with this incident. There has been enough talk about it already."

The match, the Derby Della Mole, is a big one for Juventus and its faint hopes at winning a 10th straight Serie A title. Juve enters the weekend trailing first-place Inter Milan by 10 points with 11 matches to play, and it's only two points clear of fifth-place Napoli for a place in the top four and next season's Champions League.

The 22-year-old McKennie, whose move from Schalke to Juventus became a permanent arrangement a month ago, is the first American to play for the Italian club, and he has five goals in all competitions (four in Serie A) in his first season there. He's under contract through June 2025.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.