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.
Pulisic has thrived under coach Stefano Pioli, scoring 10 Serie A goals and 13 overall, topping his previous highs of nine league goals and 11 overall with Chelsea in 2019. He was given a string of starts on the right side of the attack — U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter has preferred him on the left — and of late has been shifted to a central attacking midfield role.
Pulisic regained what he termed “that self belief.”
“I don’t think it’s so important to exactly find the exact reason for why I’ve scored some more goals or whatever you want to call success,” he said. “It comes and goes at times in players' careers and we both kind of needed to find that again and, yeah, luckily we have.”
A native of Hershey, Pennsylvania, Pulisic debuted with Borussia Dortmund at age 17 in January 2016 and moved to Chelsea for the 2019-20 season. He became the first American to play in a Champions League final in 2021, winning a medal, but struggled for playing time in 2022-23 under his third manager in four seasons. In his 2022 book, Pulisic disclosed he battled depression in the winter of 2020-21.
While Pulisic is expressive and introspective, McKennie is the U.S. national team extrovert.
“I might be a little bit different than Christian in terms of I want to be happy,” he said. “I want to feel like I’m at home because being away from family a lot, it’s very important for me to have a kind of family environment and people that I get along with.”
McKennie spoke of the upcoming matchup as a competition for “bragging rights,” and Pulisic of how when they get together it becomes time for video games.
McKennie said he missed ranch dressing and Cheez-Its in Italy and smirked while saying the crackers should be kept away from Pulisic.
“You can’t give the Cheez-Its to Christian. He'll kill 'em," McKennie said.
“That's such a lie,” shot back Pulisic, cracking up.
Citing the switch to Serie A as ideal, McKennie mentioned Pulisic even gets to live on a golf course. Pulisic cited "the change in mindset and just the way of life here, feeling that family environment” and his face brightened when he discussed “the trust and the confidence from a top team, and being given that right away.”
McKennie was born in Fort Lewis, Washington, spent a good deal of his youth in Little Elm, Texas, then left the FC Dallas academy and made his pro debut at age 18 with Germany’s Schalke in May 2017. He was loaned to Juventus for the 2020-21 season and signed a four-year contract in March 2021. He struggled at times and was loaned to relegation-bound Leeds for the second half of the 2022-23 Premier League season, then returned to Juventus and became a standout this season under coach Massimiliano Allegri. McKennie leads the team with seven assists in 30 Serie A matches.
“During the summer, I looked at myself and realized I lost a little bit belief in myself, to be completely honest. The confidence was kind of low.,” McKennie said.
McKennie recalled a conversation with Allegri when preseason training began last summer.
“He joked with me a little bit, was like Wes, you got to start running now and you stop running at the end of the season,” McKennie said. “So that’s kind of what I’ve been doing.”
Running is fine. Tight indoor spaces are not.
McKennie still hasn't gotten over his elevator phobia.
“I still jump out the elevator when too many people get in,” he said. “I get caught waiting the whole time.”
Both spoke of the pride for playing for the U.S., which as the second-youngest team in the tournament reached the second round in Qatar two years ago before getting knocked out by the Netherlands.
“With the showing that we had in 2022, I think we kind of open the eyes up to the world that we can compete and we’re not just looked at as a team that goes until the final whistle," McKennie said. "We have that quality, but now we can also play, as well.”
He anticipated chippier play at the Copa América, where the U.S. opens against Bolivia on June 23, plays Panama four days later and finishes the group stage against Uruguay on July 1.
“This summer will be an amazing test again and where we can show the CONCACAF side of us a little bit," McKennie said, laughing, "the little more I guess you can say dirty side — I don’t really want to say that.”
FILE - United States' Weston Mckennie, left, and Christian Pulisic celebrate after Mckennie's goal during the first half of a CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer match against Curacao, Sunday, June 30, 2019, in Philadelphia. The United States won 1-0. Having revived their careers in Italy, AC Milan's Christian Pulisic and Juventus' Weston McKennie are looking forward to facing each other later this month in Serie A before joining the U.S. national team for the Copa América. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)
FILE - United States' Weston McKennie celebrates his goal with Tyler Adams, left, and Christian Pulisic during the second half of a FIFA World Cup qualifying soccer match against Mexico, Friday, Nov. 12, 2021, in Cincinnati. The U.S. won 2-0. Having revived their careers in Italy, AC Milan's Christian Pulisic and Juventus' Weston McKennie are looking forward to facing each other later this month in Serie A before joining the U.S. national team for the Copa América. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Four police officers serving a warrant for a felon wanted for possessing a firearm were killed and four other officers were wounded in a shootout Monday at a North Carolina home, police said.
Some of the officers who rushed to the Charlotte neighborhood to rescue the first wave of downed officers were wounded as a second shooter began firing on them after they killed the wanted man, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings said.
“Today we lost some heroes who were out simply trying to keep our community safe,” Jennings said at a news conference.
After a three-hour standoff, the suburban Charlotte home was torn open. Armored vehicles smashed into it, ripping off windows and entire doorways that were left broken. Several armored vehicles were parked across yards, some with tree branches dangling off them.
The U.S. Marshals Task Force was fired on by the wanted suspect as they approached the house and the man was killed in the front yard, Jennings said. His name was not released, but the chief said he was wanted as a felon illegally possessing a weapon.
A second person then fired on officers from inside the home where a high-powered rifle was found, Jennings added.
A woman and a 17-year-old male were found in the home after the standoff. The two are being questioned, Jennings said.
The Marshal’s Service confirmed one of its agents was killed. Two officers from the state Department of Adult Correction also were killed, said North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper. The governor was in Charlotte and was speaking to the families of the officers killed and hurt. Their names have not been released.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer Joshua Eyer died a few hours later at the hospital, Jennings said. Eyer was named the officer of the month for the force for April a few weeks ago, the chief said.
“He certainty gave his life and dedicated his life to protecting our citizens,” Jennings said.
One other member of the task force, which is made up of federal agents and other officers from across the region was injured.
Three other Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers who responded to the scene were shot while trying to rescue the wounded officers.
Neighbors said gunfire lasted for several minutes.
WSOC-TV said their helicopter captured an armored vehicle driving through yards and knocking over recycling bins before officers removed a person with blood on their shirt who was then loaded into an ambulance.
After the home was cleared, the helicopter pilot said he couldn't show the front lawn of the home because the scene was too graphic and disturbing.
“A lot of the questions that need to be answered, we don’t even know what those questions are now," Jennings said, somberly briefing reporters less than four hours after the shooting. “We have to get a full understanding of why this occurred and also uphold the integrity of the investigation.”
Many roads in the area including Interstate 77 were closed so ambulances could get to hospitals faster. TV footage showed ambulances speeding to hospitals escorted by vehicles both in front and behind with their sirens wailing.
Rissa Reign was cleaning her house when she heard the first shots ring out. There was a pause, then a second set of shots and then a third. She stepped outside.
“When we came outside, there were no cops at all, then cops started rushing, rushing, rushing, rushing in,” she said, adding armored SWAT trucks quickly followed and they "were going over the grass, everything, and they started shooting again.”
The neighborhood, of one– and two-story, brick homes and small trimmed lawns, is very safe, said Alex Rivera, who lives on a street nearby.
“I see, like, 50 police cars zooming in, and then I hear gunshots,” he said on the front porch of the house he shares with his cousin. “I was scared, because there was so much going on.“
Another neighbor, William Cunningham, was moved to tears as he sat on his porch. He said he is a veteran of Operation Desert Storm but never expected such violence in his own neighborhood.
“Bless those officers and bless their families,” he said. “Nobody should get killed over a warrant.”
Four Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools were placed on lockdown around afternoon dismissal, but that was lifted in the late afternoon, the district said.
Police urged people to stay away from the neighborhood and asked residents to remain inside their homes until the all clear was given.
President Joe Biden was briefed on the shooting and spoke with Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles to express his condolences and support for the community.
The last marshal shot and killed in the line of duty was in November 2018. Chase White was shot in Tucson, Arizona, by a man wanted for stalking local law enforcement officers, the agency said.
The Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force is headquartered in Charlotte and comprised of 70 federal, state and local agencies. Fugitive task forces are collaborations between agencies to find and arrest suspects in crimes.
In six years, the regional task force has apprehended more than 8,900 fugitives, the U.S. Marshals Service said on its website.
In March 2007, two Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officers were killed while responding to a domestic dispute by someone not directly involved in the fight. Demeatrius Antonio Montgomery is serving a life sentence in the killings of officers Jeffrey Shelton and Sean Clark.
Contributing to this report were Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina; Rebecca Reynolds in Louisville, Kentucky; and Sarah Brumfield in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department officers walk in the neighborhood where a shooting took place in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 29, 2024. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department says officers from the U.S. Marshals Task Force were carrying out an investigation Monday afternoon in a suburban neighborhood when they came under gunfire. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
Multiple law enforcement vehicles respond in the neighborhood where several officers on a task force trying to serve a warrant were shot in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 29, 2024. (Melissa Melvin-Rodriguez/The Charlotte Observer via AP)
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles gets choked up as she speaks at a press conference regarding a shooting in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 29, 2024. Several officers on a U.S. Marshals Task Force serving a warrant for a felon wanted for possessing a firearm were killed and other officers were wounded in a shootout Monday in North Carolina, home, police said. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings, center, leaves the scene where multiple law enforcement officers were shot on Galway Drive in Charlotte, N.C. on Monday, April 29, 2024. Several officers on a U.S. Marshals Task Force serving a warrant for a felon wanted for possessing a firearm were killed and other officers were wounded in a shootout Monday in a North Carolina, home, police said. (Khadejeh Nikouyeh/The Charlotte Observer via AP)
Members of FBI talk with each other at the scene of a shooting on Galway Drive in Charlotte, N.C., on Monday, April 29, 2024, Multiple law enforcement officers were shot while serving a warrant for a felon wanted for possessing a firearm. (Khadejeh Nikouyeh/The Charlotte Observer via AP)
A law officer walks away from the scene of a shooting where multiple law enforcement officers were shot while serving a warrant for a felon wanted for possessing a firearm in Charlotte, N.C., on Monday, April 29, 2024. (Khadejeh Nikouyeh/The Charlotte Observer via AP)
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings speaks at a press conference after multiple officers were shot while serving a warrant in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings speaks at a press conference regarding an event where several officers on a task force trying to serve a warrant were shot in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles gets choked up as she speaks at a press conference regarding a shooting in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 29, 2024. Several officers on a U.S. Marshals Task Force serving a warrant for a felon wanted for possessing a firearm were killed and other officers were wounded in a shootout Monday in North Carolina, home, police said. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
Charlotte fire department captain Brian Cunningham, right, hugs Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings at a press conference regarding a shooting in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 29, 2024. Several officers on a U.S. Marshals Task Force serving a warrant for a felon wanted for possessing a firearm were killed and other officers were wounded in a shootout Monday in North Carolina, home, police said. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
A Charlotte Mecklenburg police officer walks in the neighborhood where several officers on a task force trying to serve a warrant were shot in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
A Charlotte neighborhood where an officer-involved shooting took place in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 29, 2024. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department says officers from the U.S. Marshals Task Force were carrying out an investigation Monday afternoon in a suburban neighborhood when they came under gunfire. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
A Charlotte Mecklenburg police officer walks in the neighborhood where several officers on a task force trying to serve a warrant were shot in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
University of South Florida police officers take pro Palestinian protesters into custody during a march on the campus Monday, April 29, 2024 in Tampa. (Chris Urso/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
A Charlotte Mecklenburg police officer walks carrying a gun in the neighborhood where a shooting took place in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 29, 2024. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department says officers from the U.S. Marshals Task Force were carrying out an investigation Monday afternoon in a suburban neighborhood when they came under gunfire. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
A Charlotte Mecklenburg police officer walks in the neighborhood where a shooting took place in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 29, 2024. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department says officers from the U.S. Marshals Task Force were carrying out an investigation Monday afternoon in a suburban neighborhood when they came under gunfire. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
A Charlotte Mecklenburg police officer walks carrying a gun in the neighborhood where a shooting took place in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 29, 2024. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department says officers from the U.S. Marshals Task Force were carrying out an investigation Monday afternoon in a suburban neighborhood when they came under gunfire. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
A Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department officer walks carrying a gun in the neighborhood where a shooting took place in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 29, 2024. CMPD says officers from the U.S. Marshals Task Force were carrying out an investigation Monday afternoon in a suburban neighborhood when they came under gunfire. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
Multiple law enforcement vehicles respond in the neighborhood where several officers on a task force trying to serve a warrant were shot in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 29, 2024. (Melissa Melvin-Rodriguez/The Charlotte Observer via AP)
Multiple law enforcement vehicles respond in the neighborhood where several officers on a task force trying to serve a warrant were shot in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 29, 2024. (Khadejeh Nikouyeh/The Charlotte Observer via AP)
A Charlotte Mecklenburg police officer carries a gun as he walks in the neighborhood where an officer-involved shooting took place in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 29, 2024. Police in North Carolina say numerous law enforcement officers conducting a task force operation have been struck by gunfire in Charlotte. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department is responding to shots fired on Galway Drive in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, April 29, 2024. Officers from the U.S. Marshals Task Force were conducting an investigation in a suburban neighborhood when they were fired upon, the CMPD said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. (Melissa Rodriguez/The Charlotte Observer via AP)
Police work at the scene of a shooting Monday, April 29, 2024, in east Charlotte, N.C. Officers from the U.S. Marshals Task Force were conducting an investigation in a suburban neighborhood when they were fired upon, the CMPD said in a post on X. (Khadejeh Nikouyeh/The Charlotte Observer via AP)
Multiple law enforcement officers were shot Monday, April 29, 2024, in east Charlotte, N.C., the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department said. Officers from the U.S. Marshals Task Force were conducting an investigation in a suburban neighborhood when they were fired upon, the CMPD said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. (Khadejeh Nikouyeh/The Charlotte Observer via AP)
