Intensity. It is one of modern football’s go-to buzzwords, cited by coaches and players so often you wonder if it might lose meaning.
For Mark McKenzie, it never will. With both club and country, the defender is learning precisely what it entails and relishing every moment.
He is fresh from his first USMNT camp with new head coach Mauricio Pochettino, who is a master of intensity. He is also adapting to the step-change in pressure from playing in Belgium to France’s Ligue 1 against opponents such as Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille. Both require new levels of exertion, even for a player who never shies away from it.
McKenzie made a rare start for his country in Pochettino’s first game in charge, last month’s 2-0 win over Panama, and is bristling with new ideas after his first brush with the Argentine and his new staff.
An unused sub for his last eight call-ups, he did not kick a ball during the summer’s Copa America, but the 25-year-old has found himself firmly in the mix of late. McKenzie also played the entirety of the draw with New Zealand which was Mikey Varas’ last game as interim coach.
Pochettino oversees USMNT training in Austin, Texas (John Dorton/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)
It has been a summer of sudden change for the Bronx-born centre-back. After interest from clubs in Germany, he chose instead to join Toulouse where he has quickly established himself in the team.
After training, he sits down to tell The Athletic, in an interview arranged by Ligue 1, about how working under Pochettino has already improved the way he thinks about the game.
“It’s that feeling that we can play well, be offensively firing and all over the place but he (Pochettino) emphasises it all has to be with intensity,” he says. “That intentionality is important.
“The group felt that demand in training — sprinting to my position to make an option, sprinting to push the line higher when the ball is past us, or sprinting back behind the ball when our press is broken.
“It’s going to be extremely valuable. If you can have that as your foundation, from there you can work on the nuances, attacking movements, or build-up play. When you understand the intensity is required every moment; this will define us. Everyone has to be firing and doing their job to the fullest.”
It is not just about performative hard-running — even the way defenders run is being tweaked.
“We even spoke about body movement and how you’re moving,” he says. “About back-pedalling. If we’re doing that, it doesn’t really allow you to react how you need to. If you’re back-pedalling at high speed and the ball is played in front of you it’s very difficult. But if I’m sprinting at a side angle, I now have the opportunity to slow my steps down and react forward or backward.
“Those small things that you may not see by watching the game outside are important on the field. They give you a split second more to receive the ball or play it. Or another second for your team-mates to have an option.”
McKenzie playing for the USMNT against New Zealand in September (John Dorton/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)
Pochettino has preached the gospel of incremental small wins.
“We spoke about defenders thinking about how we are structured so we are controlling the space,” McKenzie explains. “So we are making it very difficult for the attacking players to have a good time.
“As soon as the goal kick is played, we are sprinting into position to make sure the attacking player is behind us. Now if that ball is knocked back behind, he’s offside. In that moment, it is a small win, but it’s huge for the team because it allows us to maintain that high position.”
Does the manager exude an aura given his time with clubs such as Tottenham Hotspur, PSG and Chelsea?
“You look at his resume and it demands respect, but ultimately the person you are also creates that,” says McKenzie. “For me, he is very personable but, as soon as he steps on the pitch, he’s all about business.
“Then it’s: ‘OK, you made a mistake but (it is about your) reaction… or: ‘You missed a pass but now (think about the) next pass.’ It’s that relentless mentality of constantly finding improvement. As a player, you feel like you can really give your all for this manager because he gives you the confidence to do that.”
McKenzie celebrates CONCACAF Nations League victory in March (John Dorton/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)
McKenzie’s confidence is high.
The player who came through the ranks with MLS side Philadelphia Union, winning the Supporters’ Shield before moving to Genk for the 2020-21 season, is enjoying life in southern France.
He is a ball-playing defender and helped Toulouse, 14th in the table after a shaky start, to a 3-0 win over Montpellier last weekend. During that victory, the American’s distribution was immaculate.
“It was an important win for the team after a few weeks of disappointing draws when we felt like we deserved more or had conceded goals that were unnecessary,” he says.
“The coach, Carles (Martínez Novell), puts a lot of importance on being able to build out the attack from the back under pressure. Doing it at this high level consistently is something I really take the onus on. I will continue to work on it because every opponent throws something different at you and I want to be good at it consistently.”
📊Mark McKenzie avec le @ToulouseFC à Montpellier :
43 passes tentées
43 passes réussies#MHSCTFC pic.twitter.com/3jvXaTU0Jp— TFC Database (@TFCDatabase) October 29, 2024
So far he has mainly been deployed on the left of a back three for Toulouse, but played in the middle of a three for the USMNT against Panama. His flexibility is a bonus and McKenzie, a deep-thinking student of the game, is aware it gives him an edge.
“Understanding what the different positions look like is important,” he says. “Knowing when you push up a bit higher to maybe create more space is important, or maybe make a deep run to open up room for the wing-back.
“All of those things are abilities I’ve been able to pick up as I go along, at Genk and here. Now playing under Carles, whose tactical knowledge is at an extremely high level… he puts the demand on us.”
Demand comes, too, from the average 25,000-plus supporters at their Stadium de Toulouse.
“The way the stadium is set up you see this big wall of purple when you walk out and you’re like: ‘Wow, OK, this is something special,’” he says. “The energy you put on the pitch you get back from the supporters.
“If they feel you have the right mentality, they’re behind you.”
McKenzie challenges compatriot Emmanuel Sabbi as Toulouse take on Le Havre in September (Matthieu Rondel/AFP via Getty Images)
Toulouse will look to build on their second win of the season when they host Reims on Sunday. But after a challenging summer on international duty, when the U.S. were eliminated at the Copa after finishing their preparations with an encouraging draw with Brazil, McKenzie is wary of taking any upward trajectory for granted.
“The objective was to advance out of the group and give ourselves the opportunity to make a deep run,” he says of the summer tournament on home soil. “So to fail meant everyone felt that deep responsibility. We felt like we had let a lot of people across the board.
“At international level, it’s not just about quality, or who you play for at a club level. It’s about making sure you do everything to focus on winning. You can play pretty football at international level — but if you’re not getting results or advancing in competitions, then it’s not good enough.
“It’s also about accountability when you step on that pitch: one to maintain your spot and two, to ensure the guy next to me is also giving 100 per cent. Sometimes the low moments hurt, but they are necessary.”
He admits it was hard not getting onto the field, and tough also watching Tim Weah, a childhood friend, being sent off in the defeat by Panama — a flashpoint that ultimately played a key part in the team’s elimination.
“Tim is like family to me,” he says. “He was at my wedding and I’ve known him since I was nine. To see him after the game was hard because he was already beating himself up for letting the team down in a moment when he wasn’t himself.”
McKenzie laughs as he is interviewed by children at a USMNT press conference in October (Elizabeth Kreutz/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)
Harder still, McKenzie says, was the wider criticism of the Juventus midfielder following that red card, which left Gregg Berhalter’s team needing to beat Uruguay in their final group game to reach the last 16.
“For me, that is part of being human, right?” he says. “Everybody has had a moment in their life when they have acted out of character or done something they regret. That sense of grace was lacking in the aftermath.
“Yes, he made a mistake but there were still minutes to be played in the game. So it’s not all on him by any means. It’s a collective, and we win or lose together. To see him getting beaten up so much… it was almost unjust.
“We try to go out there and play to the best of our ability, but we’re the ones who have to make the decisions. I told him: ‘The same people who are criticising you are the ones who wouldn’t like individuals stepping into their offices or work environment and telling them they screwed up.’ But that’s the reality.
“We are blessed to be in this position, but we’re still human.”
Scrutiny of the team will only increase under their new coach and ahead of a World Cup on home soil in 2026. Earlier this month, it was announced that HBO camera crews are following the team for a behind-the-scenes documentary, telling the story of their build-up to that tournament.
So what is it like when even private team moments are being monitored for entertainment?
“It’s become a bit more normalised,” he says. “You’re kind of used to the cameras and the media being around. It’s refreshing to be able to have the camera in the sense that they see the everyday grind that goes into what it takes.
“At times can it be distracting? For sure. Like, if it’s a serious meeting and we have the cameras in there. But it’s part of the modern game and the crew who have been working with us, Park Stories, have done a really good job of allowing us space and balancing when they need to be there. They have respected that aspect.
“You can still be who you are and, thankfully, people aren’t acting out of character.”
McKenzie in his Genk days (Johan Eyckens/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images)
Away from his aspirations for the World Cup, McKenzie is excited for what the domestic season has in store: especially fixtures against Pochettino’s old club PSG or Folarin Balogun’s Monaco.
“We haven’t played Monaco yet,” he says. “Flo and I have had many battles in training with the national team, so being able to share the pitch again and give him a heck of a time, make his life hard, will be good.
“It’s always special to share the pitch with guys who represent your country and get a jersey swap after the game.”
He consulted Balogun and Weah (who played for Lille) before deciding to join Toulouse and has settled into a house in the city with his wife after their summer wedding.
“When you look at the amount of historic teams here with an aura around them, it’s special,” he adds. “You see it on TV as a kid and dream about being part of it. Every week is different: PSG away at Parc des Princes or playing away at Marseille — even feeling the energy around the match when Marseille came here.
“You feel that intensity in duels and set pieces. Getting stuck in on tackles and little scraps here and there. That combative nature is something I love being part of.”
If intensity is the baseline for the USMNT going forward, McKenzie is undeniably a convert.
(Top photo: Sameer Al-Doumy/AFP via Getty Images)
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