IRVINE, Calif.— Tim Weah found himself doing what every World Cup player must do sooner or later: standing in front of a semicircle of cameras and microphones, answering the same questions.
Australia. What is expected. Team confidence. One game at a time.
Then, high above the crowd of reporters gathered around him Tuesday morning at the U.S. men’s national team training facility, Weston McKennie appeared.
The midfielder climbed a camera riser towards the press scrum and leaned into the teaser, grinning like a cruel older brother spying on his sibling. He watched Weah navigate the chaos below, at the same time seeing if he could distract his colleagues from the reporters who hadn’t noticed that he was hiding behind them.
McKennie and Weah share a bond that has become a key relationship within the US locker room, and there were moments in the mixed media Tuesday that reminded how team chemistry and camaraderie are as important as tactics and formation at the World Cup.
“We’re all very close,” captain Tyler Adams said earlier. But on my day off, I don’t want to spend time with any of them.
McKennie and Weah are different.
“They’re very close,” Tina McKennie, Weston’s mother, told The Post at practice. “His dad is a big Weston fan. We’re all friends with their family. We’re one big family, really. They’ve known each other for a long time. They’re like brothers, and they’re going to be like brothers in football.”
That connection extends beyond the national team camps.
For three seasons, the couple shared a locker room at Italian giant Juventus. When Weah decided to leave French club Lille in 2023, McKennie played a big role in his decision.
“Wes is one of the main reasons why I came to Juventus,” Weah said at the time. “I knew I was going to have one of my best friends on the team.”
Life in Europe can separate them from the younger American players. There is a language barrier, culture clash and diversity expected when it comes to the game of soccer.
McKennie and Weah were a safety net for each other.
Weah joked that he was staying at McKennie’s in Turin during the season. The two spend Thanksgiving and Christmas together, train together and, according to teammates, are rarely apart.
Their friendship was so evident that it even made headlines in Italy when the pair satirically criticized Italian food on a Juventus podcast. McKennie joked that Italian food lacks variety. Weah insisted that the Americans had done everything better.
The comments sparked outrage in all parts of Italy. Leading former Italian goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano, joking that Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni, “must not allow him. [McKennie] I’m back in Italy.”
The two, naturally, find it amusing. And their comfort level together translates on the field.
Few American players understand each other’s movements better than McKennie and Weah.
“I think it’s really good because we already have a good understanding,” Weah said. “I understand the way he plays, he understands the way I play. Our chemistry is really good.”
History supports him.
In December 2024, the pair combined for a goal in the UEFA Champions League, with Weah providing the assist and McKennie scoring a stunning volley. It was the first time that two players on the US men’s national team had combined for a goal in a tournament and only the national team continued.
During Friday’s 4-1 World Cup opener win over Paraguay at SoFi Stadium, McKennie’s move helped stretch Paraguay’s defense and create space for the American attack.
“Weston’s run really opened up the game for us,” said teammate Sebastian Berhalter. “He made a lot of tough runs in that game.”
When Weah came on in the 72nd minute, he immediately brought new energy to the attack and along with McKennie, helped set up Gio Reyna’s stoppage time goal with smart movement and precise passing.
“We’re together every day,” McKennie said of the trust he and Weah have built over the years. “When we get to camp, it’s good to have someone to go with.”
As the United States prepare for Friday’s crucial group stage match against Australia in Seattle, the rift between McKennie and Weah remains one of the biggest stories of the World Cup. Another guarded the field. Some attacks are extensive.
Together, they’ve built a relationship that extends beyond the field and that friendship was on display Tuesday morning, smiling for the camera while her best friend held the spotlight below.
