How Weston McKennie, PUMA Are Leading Soccer's Takeover in America

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The USMNT midfielder talks about what drew him to PUMA, how both aim to grow soccer in America, and more.

Soccer’s momentum in the United States is at an all-time high no matter what angle you look at it.

Whether it’s Lionel Messi joining MLS, both the USWNT/USMNT’s next generation of winners, or North & South America’s best facing each other on U.S. soil this summer for Copa América, everyone is drawn into the beautiful game whether you call it soccer, football, or fútbol.

For PUMA, the momentum is met with meticulousness as the global footwear brand is capitalizing in & out of the pitch. From sponsoring some of the world’s biggest clubs to innovating on boots for the game’s best, PUMA is doubling down on its soccer origins and investing energy into the sport’s next frontier — the United States.

In 2021, PUMA signed Christian Pulisic, aka Captain America. Three years later, as the sport has grown stateside, PUMA added Weston McKennie to its roster. A magician at midfield, McKennie has played under the world’s brightest lights and has tasted success for both club & country from winning the CONCACAF’s Nations League to Italy’s Cup & Super Cup with Juventus.

As the USMNT looks to pull off the upset in Copa América and ahead of the 2026 World Cup in North America, we spoke with the newest PUMA signee & core member of the USMNT about the partnership with PUMA, what fans can expect, and more.

Read what the midfielder had to say below.

Stay tuned to Nice Kicks FC on Instagram for the latest footy-related news and drops.

Weston McKennie On Signing With PUMA

PUMA has allowed me to express myself completely and fully. [My personality] is what I’ve always been known.

I may be the goofball, the one who makes people laugh. I’d much rather not even try and compare myself to someone, but, you know, try and create my own legacy and journey within PUMA.

McKennie On Working with Rihanna’s FENTY and Other PUMA Collaborators

That would be dope for sure. I’d get to meet Rihanna, so that’d be amazing.

Hopefully, in the future, there’ll be something like that. I’ve been seeing all of the ideas [PUMA is] doing from fashion and collabs with KidSuper.

You can see that PUMA is for the people who love fashion and the streetwear-type vibe. Those brands are the ones that you want to be involved with, so maybe in the future, I’ll be walking in a fashion show for PUMA.

How Weston McKennie & PUMA Are Growing Soccer in America

PUMA has been in the game for a long time. I’m representing timeless figures in the game and in general. [In] this new era you’re seeing, PUMA is pushing the envelope a little bit more. They’re one of the main sponsors for Copa América and many other tournaments that are coming up.

PUMA is set on the same ideas that I have, the same ideas that US Soccer and all the players have here which is changing soccer in America forever.

You see it with Christian Pulisic and his collab with the stomping ground in Little Havana, Miami. Growing the game like that is priceless.

@nicekicks Christian Pulisic and PUMA want to grow the game of soccer in America and plan to do that with their new Stomping Grounds facilities ??? #PUMA #pumafootball #christianpulisic #usmnt #chelseafc #chelsea #miami #soccer #pulisic ? original sound – nicekicks.com

I find myself aligned with the things that PUMA does because that’s also something that I want to do in the foreseeable future, growing the game in America because we all know how European football is, we all know how big it is out there, it’s like religion for them.

That’s how we want it to be in America as well.

What To Expect From The McKennie & PUMA Link-Up

It’s something that we that we’re talking about. It’s still a fresh relationship, even though it feels like we’ve been together for a while.

We’re seeing what we can do and hopefully, something will happen within the next four months, five months, or six months, but I still have a long journey with Puma, so I’m sure things will come up.

McKennie On Joining PUMA, USMNT Teammates Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah

It’s amazing. I’ve known Christian for the longest time. It’s finally nice to be on the same team in something besides the USMNT. I’ve known him since I was 13 years old.

Yunus [Musah] came a little bit later in the picture, but Yunus is a guy that you can never be mad at. You always tend to laugh. We call him smiles at the national team; you see all of his teeth.