McKennie: ‘World Cup will change football in America, Pulisic ready when it matters’

Weston McKennie believes that hosting the 2026 World Cup will ‘change football in the United States’, says that Milan’s Christian Pulisic will always be ready in decisive moments, but says that he has not heard much from the developments taking place at Juventus.

McKennie and his USMNT colleagues got their home World Cup campaign off to a flyer with a 4-1 victory over Paraguay in Los Angeles. Though it was Folarin Balogun who provided a brace, McKennie and Pulisic were widely praised for their individual performances on the night.

“A victory like this was exactly what I was hoping for,” said McKennie in an in-depth interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“Obviously, you never know what’s going to happen on the pitch because there are so many different expectations. But we know what we’re capable of, and the world has taken notice.

“Winning 4-1 in the opening match is great, of course, but it’s just the beginning. That’s why we don’t want to overdo the celebrations; this needs to become the norm for us. Now we still have two group stage matches: let’s continue with performances like this and try to improve even further.”

A moment of individual brilliance from Pulisic led to Damian Bobadilla turning the ball into his own net for the USA’s opener against Paraguay. That was the moment that McKennie thought his nation would get off to a winning start.

“Probably after the own goal. I thought: ‘Okay, luck is a bit on our side today…’ But the moment that truly gave me goosebumps was when we walked onto the pitch: we listened to the anthem and sang it all together, us and the fans. It’s hard to describe a feeling like that unless you experience it firsthand.

“In that moment, I thought back to all the hard work put in by the team, the staff, the coach, and the life journeys everyone had taken to get there, all together.”

McKennie praises head coach Mauricio Pochettino for the mindset that he has been able to bring to his squad.

“For now, let’s take the positives from this match and not get ahead of ourselves. It was fantastic, and do you know why? We wanted to go out there and play like childhood friends, and we succeeded. That’s the secret.

“The coach often tells us that the hard work is what we do before the match. The sacrifices, the time invested, the commitment: that’s the real graft. Then you go out there and the fun begins, because opportunities like these don’t come around often in a career.

“And if you make a mistake, never mind, there’s always a teammate ready to cover for you. I’ve never seen the kind of unity we have, both on and off the pitch, in any other team I’ve been a part of.”

It has only been one game, but McKennie is confident that the 2026 World Cup campaign will change the way that football is viewed in the United States.

“There are many people who, perhaps, had never come to support us before: we hope that, thanks to this performance, they can get to know us and feel closer to us. We want to be a team that people can identify with. We want them to see the joy with which we play, the electricity in the stadium.

“And for those who say football is boring, well, there were five goals in the first game, so maybe they’ll change their minds! Hosting this World Cup will definitely change football in the United States, it’s impossible not to be moved by this amount of passion.”

Pulisic has not hit the back of the net for Milan in 2026, but McKennie feels that his compatriot is always ready to step up in the big moments.

“Christian is always ready when it truly matters. In recent months, many people have criticised him, wondering if he would be fit for the World Cup, if he would be able to make a difference.

“But I’ve always said it, and I’ll continue to say it: I’ll support him indefinitely, as will the whole team. Christian is one of those players who never falters in decisive moments, and now I hope he continues.”

McKennie was also full of praise for the performance that centre-forward Balogun put in against Paraguay.

“Balogun did his job, what we expect from him and what he expects from himself. He’s decisive in important moments and an extremely clinical finisher. If someone didn’t know what kind of player he is, I think they’ll have understood now. But I also think Folarin showed another side of himself that perhaps many hadn’t noticed before.

“Against Paraguay, he got stuck into tackles, put his body on the line, and sacrificed himself for the team. In the past, perhaps some didn’t consider him a player willing to do the dirty work, but he’s shown everyone he’s ready to do it.”

McKennie was also asked for his thoughts about the change of CEO at Juventus, with Damien Comolli having been replaced by Giovanni Carnevali earlier this week. The Bianconeri midfielder says that he has no time to focus on anything other than the World Cup campaign at this point, though.