Weston McKennie Is Ready for His World Cup Closeup

Weston McKennie got his feet wet at the World Cup in Qatar in 2022. This summer, the 27-year-old U.S. midfielder will have the chance to play in front of the home fand as the United States hosts soccer's biggest even for the first time in 32 years.

"As a kid, you dream of playing for the national team and be in the World Cup," McKennie told Men's Journal. "I've had the opportunity to do that and to be able to do that again this summer on home soil will be even bigger because I have family, I have friends, I have people that have helped me along my journey that don't normally get to see me play live while I'm in Europe and they'll have an opportunity to see me here at home."

Leading up to the event, McKennie is headlining Truly's "Believe, USA" campaign, which allows citizens to nominate their towns or communities to be recognized for their U.S. soccer fandom.

"I think that's a pretty cool activation that we're trying to do right now," McKennie said. "And yeah, we're truly taking over the local town bar and updating it to "Believe USA" and adding light bulbs and essentially just making it the coolest spot to watch the World Cup in the U.S."

McKennie will also be one of the focal points of the upcoming “Destination World Cup" docuseries on Tubi, along with Spain's Marc Cucurella and Harry Wilson of Wales.

The six-episode program will chronicle the trio "as they navigate their individual journeys to the world’s greatest sporting event."

"I'm hoping people just see the things that go on behind the scenes because I feel like everyone may look at an athlete or a soccer player and think that everything is glamorous and everything is shiny and new and whatnot," McKennie explained. "Obviously, you know, I've been blessed with this opportunity and this life and the gift to be able to play. But at the end of the day, I just want people to know that I'm very relatable and I'm just a normal human being that just happens to be good at soccer."

When he's not competing for the USMNT, McKennie has spent the last five-plus years suiting up for Juventus in Serie A. It's a partnership that is built to last.

In early March, McKennie agreed to a contract extension until 2030 for a reported $7 million annually.

"It feels it feels amazing. Juventus, even Turin the city, I've always considered it a part of my home and a part of my heart with them taking the chance on me back then in 2020," McKennie said. "I've always felt comfortable there. I've always felt part of the club and a part of the community So to be able to resign there and potentially stay there another four years is amazing and something that I wanted."