9 min readMIDFIELDER WESTON MCKENNIE has earned a reputation as a “Swiss Army knife.” His ability to play almost any outfield position has made him an asset for Italy’s Juventus FC. This 2025–2026 season, he made history as the third Juventus midfielder to score at least 10 goals for the club. Now he’s bringing that energy to his second FIFA World Cup, where he’s representing the United States starting with the opener against Paraguay on June 12.
McKennie’s power of versatility should be no surprise, given his background. He grew up in a military family, moving to Germany where he picked up soccer. Over the years, he’s adjusted to making the best out of any situation: embracing new cultures, meeting new people, and creating a family away from home. “Having that in my life at a young age taught me how to adapt to whatever environment I am in,” McKennie told MH. “That also translates to my soccer career as well because I’ve played so many different positions throughout my career and have been successful at it so far.”
Before the World Cup commences on June 11, McKennie sat down with Men’s Health to discuss the training he’s been doing to prepare for the tournament. He also talks about the unorthodox locker room playlist and the popular leg workout he avoids at all costs.
Men’s Health: How has growing up in Germany and the US shaped your views on soccer?
Weston McKennie: Growing up in Germany is where my whole journey started. I played American football before growing up, and my whole family were pretty athletic as well. Obviously I wanted to be like my big brother and my dad. They both played football quite a bit, and then we moved to Germany. That's where I got into soccer, because they didn't have American football for my age since it's not a popular sport there. I picked up soccer and eventually came back to America. Obviously I missed American football at that time too, so I picked up playing both. In the long run I stuck with soccer. The friends and memories that I made from the sport in Germany made me fall in love with it more. Also, I don't like to say that I was better at it than football—because I was pretty good at both—but I stuck with it and it shaped me to where I am today.
MH: So you picked up soccer in Germany and returned to the U.S. What were your thoughts on playing youth soccer here?
WK: When I first moved back, I didn't know anything. My family wasn't familiar at all with the different leagues and levels. We had never experienced soccer in America before. We were just trying to search for teams in the Dallas area, and I ended up signing up for a rec league. I started playing there and realized that I'm a little bit above the level because it was pretty easy. Then when we started searching around for other teams at a higher level and a more organized soccer type vibe, that’s when I joined a select team. Soccer in America definitely has grown from the time that I came back versus now, because obviously it was not a very popular sport. Players are now coming over to the MLS [Major League Soccer] and seeing it as an opportunity to start. Less players are leaving the academies in America to come over to Europe.
MH: Growing up, did you have a favorite player that you admired?
WK: I admired Francesco Totti [an Italian striker who played for Roma]. That was a player I always liked mainly because of his loyalty to Rome. I was in Germany at the time of the 2006 World Cup when Italy won and I had a big poster of Italy in my room.
MH: What is it like to be playing in Italy now for Juventus?
WK: Juventus is a historic club, and at the time people thought it was too big of a move for me. But I like when that happens. I see it as one more thing to try and prove wrong. Growing up in a military family and moving around, I'm used to being dropped in different cultures, finding my feet and making friends that are a family away from family. That’s what I tried to do when I came [to Italy] because ultimately we spend our careers with players that do come over to Europe.
We spend most of our careers away from our family, and you have to have that social butterfly aspect within your personality traits. That's one thing I will say: I am a social butterfly. I can make friends with the Rock if I need to.
MH: It sounds like moving around a lot in a military family gave you the power of adaptability.
WK: For sure. It definitely teaches you discipline. It teaches you to adapt to new circumstances and new living conditions. Moving around at a young age, making friends and then having to leave and make new friends all over again, you definitely learn how to cope with everything around you. Having that in my life at a young age taught me how to adapt to whatever environment I am in. That also translates to my soccer career as well because I’ve played so many different positions throughout my career and have been successful at it so far.
MH: Speaking of adaptability, have you learned Italian and found a favorite Italian dish?
WK: Yeah, I’ve definitely learned Italian. It would be pretty bad if I lived here as long as I have. Food-wise, I don't know because I always find a way to add an American ingredient or something into a traditional Italian dish. I would probably say a pasta pomodoro with pesto and chicken inside. That’s for sure not an Italian dish but it’s delicious.
MH: Shifting gears, let’s talk about training, especially with the World Cup around the corner. Reports are predicting this upcoming World Cup to be the hottest tournament on record. How are you training your body to endure the heat?
WK: It’s a funny thing because a lot of people think that because I come from America that I'm used to heat. But living away for so long you get used to the weather over [in Europe]. So when it's like 80 degrees in America, it's still really hot for me as well.
I feel like we got the luck of the draw being placed in L.A., where it's normally a cooler spot in the summer, compared to Dallas and Houston. There's not really any real way you can try and prepare for it. I guess the only thing you can do is stay hydrated as much as you can, and train your body to have a good level of endurance to be able to push through.
MH: Do you have a preferred drink or do you go for classic water?
WK: I do a bit of both. I like Vita Coco if I need a quick boost in the morning. I’m not a big coffee guy so I would say probably, Celsius is pretty big right now and it actually tastes pretty good. I would say those definitely I’d call a little cheat sheet for me but just hydration in general.
MH: What type of workouts are you doing specifically for sprint and stamina training?
WK: With sprint training, we do a lot of changing-direction training. A lot of quick 10-yard sprint, cut 10 yard sprint, cut 10 yard sprint, and finish out strong. Being in soccer and the trainings that I do have here, you definitely run a lot. A training session normally is good for endurance training, for sure.
We do a lot more endurance training at the beginning of the season to prepare for the season. Depending on how many games you play will determine what type of trainings you have that week. You don’t want to overload the body and arrive to the game tired with your legs feeling tired and everything. We try and do controlled type of exercises. At the end of a training we do five minutes of light running. Even after games, that's part of our cooldown session to do 12 box-to-box runs two times and call it a day.
MH: What type of workouts are you specifically doing for strength training?
WK: Throughout the week, we do a lot of leg strengthening. That can be deadlifts, squats, and working with the TRX band. I like doing upper body because obviously it's the one that you normally see the results in faster than training legs. That can be bench press, shoulder press, dips, pullups, and curls.
MH: Do you have any favorite exercises for legs? What about core?
WK: I would say deadlift. I prefer legs. You can miss me with Bulgarian split squats. I do not like those at all. For core, I probably say your classic arrangement of sit-ups and planks. Those are my go-to core exercises.
MH: Definitely. What’s in your training playlist?
WK: I go all over the place. When I'm in the gym, guys will look at me like, ‘bro, what is this?’ because sometimes I'll play instrumentals: calm, easygoing, relax the mind type of vibe. Sometimes I go with country music or R&B or rap. It honestly just depends on the day and what song is popping up in my head. I'll try to base it off of that.
MH: Does this playlist differ from your pre-game playlist?
WK: Not even. If I’m on the AUX, you can get a range of Justin Bieber’s “Baby” to Tupac Shakur.
MH: Let’s talk about your diet. What’s usually on your plate and does that change before a game?
WK: I try to stay away from carbs throughout the week but before a game, I try to load up on carbs. I do carb loading probably the night or day before. Then I try to eat rather light for a pre-snack or pre-game meal. I do risotto with chicken the night before and maybe like an apple crumble type of thing we have here. Waking up in the morning, I’d probably have avocado and toast and eggs. A snack would probably be fruit or a granola cereal.
MH: After a game, what are your go-to recovery strategies?
WK: I'm not a big ice bath guy. I've done like seven ice baths in my career. I absolutely do not like them.
For me, I'm very different from a lot of other players. A lot of players have a whole routine they go through, and for me I've kind of learned that after a game recovery is just for me to do nothing. I just sit there and relax. That’s worked out very well for me.
After a game, I ride my bike for about 15 minutes. Stretching-wise, I do some band work. I also sit near the wall and put my legs up, and maybe put a weighted ball on top and work on your breathing. I go outside, do a little run, whether that's just 10 to 15 seconds, 20 seconds to get from one side to the other. Then I work out a little upper body, and that's about it for me.
MH: So we talked about physical training, but I also want to ask about your mental training. How do you prepare your mind before a game?
WK: Like I said before, I’m kind of unorthodox. I'm in my own world until the whistle blows, and then I'm in what I know best, which is playing soccer. That's kind of my mindset.
A long time ago I was in Germany playing against FC Bayern Munich for the first time. Obviously it's a huge game. Our sporting director gave an interview saying I was walking through the tunnel, and he hears someone whistling and looks over to see me without a care in the world. It was like I was in my own world. That’s kind of how I am. I like to keep a light heart and light mindset going into a game, because if not I would be getting into my own thoughts too much.
MH: Let’s talk about your partnership with Puma. Can you give more details?
WK: With Puma, what sold me was that they were wanting to help out a lot off the field. They were very big on helping me with my [Magical Youth Mission] foundation. Even before I had a contract with them, I was wearing Puma cleats. I have weird feet. I guess you can say: one foot is bigger than the other. Plus, I’ve had some broken toes and everything, so obviously you have to find something that's comfortable, and they were comfortable for me as well.
MH: Going back to the World Cup: It would be amazing for the United States to win on home turf. In your opinion, what will it take for the U.S. to win it all?
WK: The support from the fans is a big one. Obviously it's not a secret: we're not the favorites to win in a World Cup but it's on home soil. Anything can happen. It's a big opportunity for everyone involved and we have to be firing on all cylinders. Ultimately, the World Cup is one game at a time. You string together enough wins, you find yourself in the right position at the right time, and miracles can happen.
This interview has been edited for content and clarity.
Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, MS is the associate health & fitness for Men's Health and has previously written for CNN, Scientific American, Popular Science, and National Geographic before joining the brand. When she's not working, she's doing circus arts or working towards the perfect pull-up.
