Bond between USMNTs Tim Weah and Weston McKennie transcends soccer: Theyre like brothers

IRVINE, Calif.— Tim Weah found himself doing what every World Cup player must, sooner or later: standing in front of a semicircle of cameras and microphones, answering the same questions.Australia.

Expectations.Team confidence.

One game at a time.Then, high above the crowd of reporters gathered around him Tuesday morning at the United States men’s national team training center, Weston McKennie appeared.The midfielder climbed onto a camera riser overlooking the media scrum and leaned against the railing, smiling like a mischievous older brother spying on his younger sibling.He watched Weah navigate the chaos below, simultaneously seeing if he could distract his teammate from the reporters who were oblivious that he was lurking behind them.McKennie and Weah share a bond that has become one of the defining relationships inside the U.S.

locker room, and it was moments in the mixed zone Tuesday that remind how team chemistry and friendship are just as important as tactics and formations in a World Cup.“We’re all so close,” captain Tyler Adams said earlier.“But on my off day, I don’t want to spend time with any of them.”McKennie and Weah are the exceptions.“They’re very, very, very, very close,” Tina McKennie, Weston’s mother, told The Post at practice.

“His dad is a big fan of Weston.We’re all friends with their family.

We’re one big family, honestly.They’ve known each other for a long time.

They’re like brothers, and they’ll be like brothers long after soccer.”That connection stretches far beyond national team camps.For three seasons, the pair shared a locker room at Italian giant Juventus.When Weah decided to leave French club Lille in 2023, McKennie played a major 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 be isolating for young American players.There’s a language barrier, ...