ATLANTA — Bronx-born Mark McKenzie is back where he was four years ago, on the precipice of making the World Cup roster for the U.S. national team.
But he’s not the same player or even the same person who just missed out in 2022.
Heartbreak has made him better. Fatherhood has made him better.
Life has made him better.
“For various experiences, right through missing out on the World Cup, it’s the opportunity, the dream that you have as a kid. So to miss it — barely — it adds another sense of fire,” McKenzie told The Post. “But maturity-wise, understanding what it takes to be a professional … different point in your life. At that point, I was four years younger. I’m a father now, won games, lost games.
“[I] played in Europa League, [UEFA] Conference League, Champions League qualification, in cup finals, been able to win the Nations League with the [U.S.], been part of World Cup qualification. So all those experiences help build you and make you more well-rounded. Then it’s ultimately on you as a person to figure out what ways to fine-tune yourself and your game.”
While McKenzie knew he’d been hovering around the fringes of Gregg Berhalter’s team four years ago, barely missing the cut didn’t hurt any less.
But last August, he made the move from Belgian side Genk up to Toulouse and is starting in France’s Ligue 1, one of the world’s top leagues. Besides testing himself against better players, he’s also starting in a back three, something that bodes well for U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino’s 3-4-3 or 3-4-2-1 formation.
“You have a league full of players from various parts of the world, who are all skilled in different ways,” McKenzie told The Post.
“For me being able to experience playing against the best of the best, from possession to playing against teams that will give you the ball and figuring out how to break them down, but also being ready for those moments where you have to defend in the space behind or defend forward.”
Pochettino’s switch to three at the back — away from Berhalter’s old 4-3-3 — will suit McKenzie well. Chris Richards has one starting spot and Tim Ream possibly another, McKenzie vying with Miles Robinson and Auston Trusty for the third.
“He’s very understanding of who he is as a person, and overall just a leader,” Robinson said.
“I’ve known Mark for a long time, growing up in the [Philadelphia Union] academy and graduating from the same high school (YSC Academy) together,” added Trusty. “He’s grown into a really good player.”
Another reason McKenzie is a better player is a different perspective: fatherhood, his son being born in September.
“He’ll be 8, 9 months once we get to the [World Cup]. So, to have that new sense of what I’m playing for, it just adds a fire underneath you,” McKenzie told The Post.
“When I wake up and leave for training and I see him smile, you realize those are moments you don’t get back. … It makes you appreciate the journey, take a step back and realize those are the small moments in life that mean the most.”
Already an avid photographer before fatherhood (“I have a Fujifilm X-M5 right now, but I’m a vintage guy”), McKenzie now has even more moments to capture.
“Yeah, it’s something beautiful,” McKenzie said. “As my dad always talked about it, and now to experience it as a father, there are so many moments.”
Even though McKenzie left The Bronx at 5, it was his father’s job at HSS that kept the family around the city.
“My dad was still working in the city for another 15 years,” McKenzie said. “We moved out of state … but my dad was working in Manhattan, [at] Hospital for Special Surgery. He was there for years, so yeah, I spent a lot of time around there.
“[I still come back] as much as I can, bro. I love the city, man. I’m a city boy. I want to move back at some point, looking at trying to buy a home there, at least near the city. So, yeah, I love the city. It’s home. It’s home for me.”
