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U.S. men's national team center back Mark McKenzie is making his way back to where it all began.
The 27-year-old, who represented the United States at the 2026 World Cup this summer, has agreed to join his Homegrown club Philadelphia Union as a Designated Player, the organization announced Tuesday. McKenzie will continue with French Ligue 1 side Toulouse through Jan. 1, 2027, at which point his MLS contract kicks in. He is locked in through the 2029–30 season, with a club option extending to the 2030–31 campaign.
The defender from Bear, Del. originally signed a Homegrown deal with the Union back in 2018, going on to make 48 MLS appearances — including 46 starts — over three seasons with the club. McKenzie played a pivotal role in the Union's Supporters' Shield triumph in 2020, the franchise's first-ever title. He finished as runner-up in MLS Defender of the Year voting that season, at just 21 years of age.
McKenzie's impressive performances at home drew interest from clubs throughout Europe, where he has spent the past six years refining his game. He began his European journey with Belgian club Genk before cementing himself as a cornerstone of Toulouse's defense. But the time to return home had finally arrived.
"Surreal has been the word I've used for the last 36 hours," McKenzie tells Sports Illustrated. "To leave at the end of 2020, the beginning of 2021, it was this move-on chapter. I was a young kid. I was fresh-faced. I was the baby, the Homegrown on the first team, and had gotten my experience and wanted to go off and start a new chapter.
"At that point I said, 'Well, I would like to come back to Philly, and I'm not sure if that will happen again, but I'm going to Europe. I'm going to experience all these things that I've always dreamt about and see where things go.'"
Fast forward to today, and McKenzie is not only a battle-tested veteran with 30 caps for the USMNT and experience in the game's most elite competitions, but he has also become a husband and a father.
"Not to come back as just anybody, but to come back as a leader, to come back as a guy who can bring a sense of experience at the highest level. That is, one, a sense of responsibility, but two, a real privilege to even have that trust from the club and from the ownership and players," McKenzie says.
Leaves a Burgeoning Star, Returns a Seasoned Veteran
For McKenzie, the player who departed the Union and the one now returning are worlds apart. "I had just started growing my beard," he chuckles.
"I ended up doing well my first year [in 2018] and then kind of built off that over the next two-and-a-half seasons and went out with a strong bang at the end in 2020, where I really felt like it was probably the best point in my career," McKenzie reflects. "I was playing at a high level, and the team was successful.
"But I didn't really know what the highest levels of football were going to be like until I took that step. I wanted to get the most out of myself in my career, so taking that step was important for me. I always wanted to look back and say that I put my best foot forward in whatever environment it was."
While McKenzie has competed at the sport's most elite levels in Europe — including the UEFA Champions League and Europa League — he believes the most valuable perspective he'll bring back to the Union comes from his life off the pitch, as a husband and father to his 1-year-old son.
"Being able to provide that sense of, Hey, there is much more to life than just this game, so let's not take ourselves too seriously here," he explains. "Let's actually just enjoy going out there and being able to do this thing that we love for a living."
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The World Cup Fairytale
It was the 2026 World Cup on home turf that ultimately cemented McKenzie's decision to return to the United States.
McKenzie, who made 10 starts for the national team between January 2023 and May 2026, played the full 90 minutes in the group stage finale against Türkiye. He recalls how American supporters completely embraced the team this summer during a magical run that saw the USMNT top their group and claim their first knockout stage victory in 24 years — the same fans who are now becoming increasingly invested in MLS.
"We got to a World Cup in the States, and there's this sense of energy, there's this sense of wanting to see the game grow at a high level, but not just at the professional level but at the youth level," he exclaims.
He adds, "If you had asked me before the World Cup, I would have said, 'Oh no, I'll probably stay in Europe.' But being in the States this summer and really feeling that sense of connection to the fans, the connection to the American soccer community that really had an interest in seeing the game grow, that made me think again."
The Unstoppable Union
McKenzie departed a thriving Union side, and he'll be returning to one as well. Philadelphia is currently riding a 12-game unbeaten run — a new club record. After a dismal start to the season that left them winless through their first six matches, the Union have fought their way back into playoff contention and now sit sixth in the Eastern Conference.
The post-World Cup surge has been fueled by 17-year-old winger sensation Cavan Sullivan, 18-year-old center back Neil Pierre, and 20-year-old fullback Frankie Westfield. All three Union Homegrowns earned their first USMNT senior call-ups over the weekend. McKenzie is full of admiration for the young talents and keen to support their development.
"I'm extremely excited for them," he exclaims. "In reality, this is a full circle moment for me as well. I'm coming back not as a Homegrown, but as an old head in the locker room. But I remember when I was in their shoes ... I had all of these veterans around me, who I looked to as role models and guys that I could lean on for wisdom and insight, and to come back as that guy for these young guys who are honestly so much more talented than I was, it's full circle."
Sullivan has racked up six goals and eight assists across his last eight league outings, while the 6'5" Pierre has established himself as a commanding presence at the back and a surprising threat from set pieces, netting four goals this season. McKenzie is expected to form a center back partnership with Pierre next year.
"For an 18-year-old, he's extremely mature, the way he has stepped into the team," McKenzie says of his future defensive partner. "What impresses me most is his composure, to be, one, that size, but also to have the sense of being on the ball, being able to execute passes when he needs to and being able to win his duels ... His read of the game is really good.
"Being able to work with him just on a regular basis will give the opportunity to feed off one another ... I just want to be able to provide him with whatever is needed to continue to grow and do all the things that he sets his mind to."