Pulisic and McKennie face each other as rivals in Italy before joining forces again for US

Weston McKennie thought back to when he first met Christian Pulisic, a pair of 13-year-olds on a bus from a hotel to training camp in Carson, California.

“I used to sit behind him. I used to squirt empty air with a little bit of water into his ear,” McKennie said. “I was scared to take the elevator, so he used to walk with me up the stairs, like 11 flights of stairs, after training all the time.”

A dozen years later, they are mainstays on the U.S. national team as it prepares for this summer’s Copa América and the 2026 World Cup, but first will be rivals when Pulisic’s AC Milan faces McKennie’s Juventus on April 27 or 28 with second place at stake in Italy’s Serie A.

“More fun playing with him, so I don’t really have to worry about him offensively,” McKennie said with a laugh during a conference call Tuesday to promote the match.

Both found success as teenaged American standouts in Europe, struggled in their early 20s and reemerged in 2023-24 for their best club seasons as 25-year-olds.