MARIETTA, Ga. – For most professional soccer players, representing your country on the sport’s biggest stage is a lifelong dream, and even though a World Cup means great responsibility, there’s no place U.S. Men’s National Team forward Christian Pulisic would rather be.
“There's pressure, it’s a World Cup,” Pulisic said. “It's not because of my position in the team or anything. I'm used to this. I wouldn't want to be in any other position. I'm so lucky. I feel privileged to be in this position. There's pressure. I feel it. Yes, it's there. But it's nothing that I can't handle. I'm going to attack it head on, and we are as a team. I don't need to do it by myself. That's the beauty of it. I have guys like [Weston McKennie], my whole team behind me, the staff, the country of fans, and I'm going do the best I can.”
One of the players complementing and supporting Pulisic is USMNT teammate Weston McKennie. The pair have represented the U.S. on the youth level and made their debuts with the senior team in consecutive years – Pulisic on March 29, 2016 and McKennie on Nov. 14, 2027.
Both players enter the March international window in strong form for their Serie A clubs. Pulisic is the second-leading goal scorer for AC Milan with eight goals. Meanwhile, McKennie has scored four goals for Juventus in Champions League this season.
The longtime friends have been playing together since the U-15 level, so they know each other well. More than 12 years have passed since they began their journeys with U.S. Soccer, accumulating a combined 144 caps with the senior team. Still, some things between the two haven’t changed.
“No vibe change at all - it's been the same Weston,” Pulisic said. “You can talk about what a season he's having; it doesn't surprise me. It seems like people talk down on him, and then he's right back there. He's doing his thing. He's scoring goals. He's playing every minute. That's just what he does. He's a big part of his team there and a big part of the team here.”
“We all know what type of player Christian is, and he's someone that carries a lot of weight on his shoulders, especially here at the national team and with his club team as well,” McKennie said. “We all know that he's a dangerous player, an important part of the team, someone that you know we can lean on a little bit whenever we were in difficult times. He accepts that, accepts this role and takes it head on.”
Both men are 27 years old and know what this moment is like as the U.S. Men’s National Team intensifies ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Both Pulisic and McKennie were on the USMNT roster for 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, which saw the U.S. advance to the Round of 16.
“We grew up wanting to play in the World Cup,” McKennie recalled. “We grew up wanting to be professional soccer players. To have the opportunity to do it on the biggest stage in the world was something that we worked our whole lives for.”
With this cycle's selection two months away - U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Mauricio Pochettino names his roster on May 26 - neither Pulisic and McKennie want to assume they’ll play a role with the USMNT this summer. The two have been entrenched in what has been described as a highly competitive camp in Atlanta, which is expected when a player pool of more than 70 will soon be trimmed to 26.
“Everyone is here to compete,” McKennie said. “Everyone is here to win a spot, and there's no guarantees. The coaches made that clear with everyone, but it's nice to have healthy competition within the team here, everyone giving it their all, day in and day out, and all working towards a common goal.”
“You can feel the intensity in the training,” Pulisic said. “All the guys are wanting to really stake their claim, and they want to be on that World Cup roster. There's no doubt about it. Everyone wants to prove themselves. We have a great opportunity now with two really good games. You can definitely feel the energy in the team and feel that it's getting a little bit more serious, and the excitement for the tournament's is starting to get real.”
The opportunities for Pulisic, McKennie and the 25 other players in March training camp will continue with matches against two World Cup-caliber teams. The U.S. Men’s National Team faces Belgium, presented by AT&T, on Saturday, March 28 at 3:30 p.m. ET followed by Portugal, presented by Bank of America, on Tuesday, March 31 at 7 p.m. ET.