When Weston McKennie's family settled in Little Elm, it was a quiet lakeside town, not yet the suburb it is today. This week the kid who grew up there starts a World Cup for the United States.
McKennie, a 27-year-old midfielder for Italy's Juventus, made the 26-player American roster for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the first men's World Cup on U.S. soil since 1994. The son of a retired Air Force staff sergeant, he joined the FC Dallas academy at 11, left for German club Schalke 04 at 18, and scored in his national team debut at 19. He has since earned 64 caps, won the 2020 U.S. Soccer Male Player of the Year award and lifted three CONCACAF Nations League trophies.
The United States opens against Paraguay on Friday at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, with Group D matches against Australia and Turkiye to follow on June 19 in Seattle and June 25 back in Los Angeles. Closer to home, AT&T Stadium in Arlington hosts nine matches through July 14, the most of any venue in the tournament, including a semifinal.
Van Alstyne knows what it means to be a small town with big ambitions. For one month, the world's biggest sporting event features a player who started in a place a lot like this one.