Tim Weah might have had an eventful start to the European club season, but is now focusing on the U.S. men’s national team only.
Weah is in USMNT camp for the first time since standing up for teammate Christian Pulisic this past summer. Following Pulisic’s absence from the USMNT’s summer schedule, the star forward received ample criticism from former national team players, who questioned his commitment for the program ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Weah, who was interviewed for the Paramount+ documentary series “Pulisic,” hit back at those former USMNT players in an episode in August.
“I think those guys are chasing checks, and for me I just feel like they’re really evil,” Weah said in the episode. “They’ve been players, and they know what it’s like when you’re getting bashed. Those are the same guys that’ll turn around and shake your hand and try to be friendly with you at the end of the day. Don’t get me wrong, I respect all of them. They were players I looked up to.
“But quite frankly, the guys before us didn’t win anything either…Christian himself has had a better career than every single one of the guys that speak negative on us,” Weah added.
Since that episode aired, Weah has moved to Ligue 1 side Marseille on loan from Serie A side Juventus. The USMNT winger has featured in all three matches for the French club, logging 180 minutes to date.
As he now prepares to team up with Pulisic during the USMNT’s September matches, Weah is focused on the present and not the past.
“I’m fully focused on the positives now,” Weah said in a press conference Thursday. “I’m leaving all that negative energy out the window. I think right now it’s important to kind of shift the focus to what we’re doing as a group, and what this team is doing, and how we can execute performances and kind of take our game to that next level in order to be prepared for the World Cup.
“And I’m a hundred percent focused on that and if that means blacking out all the noise, that’s what we’re going to have to do,” he added. “We’re just focused on what our main goal is and we’re here at each camp trying to build and I’m so happy to be back with the boys.”
Weah wasn’t the only American player to make a club move this summer. Johnny Cardoso and Gio Reyna were also on the move prior to the Summer Transfer Window closing, with Cardoso moving to Atletico Madrid and Reyna joining Borussia Moenchengladbach.
Unlike Weah, Cardoso and Reyna were not included for the upcoming pair of matches against South Korea and Japan, a decision made by head coach Mauricio Pochettino. Even though he switched countries and quickly adjusted to a new league and club, Weah had zero doubts on not representing the USMNT this month.
“I never thought about not coming into camp,” Weah said. “I think the national team is also a priority to me as well so coming here, being with the group, and kind of building up on what we already have, and fine tuning a lot of things for me is important because at the end of the day, the goal is nine months away.
“We have to perform and be on top of our game,” he added. “So any chance I get to come in and kind of build with these guys, I’m a hundred percent for it. I’m always here.”
Weah is joined by Pulisic, Alex Zendejas, Josh Sargent, Damion Downs, and Folarin Balogun in the attacking corps.
Vac, not sure I agree with your take about the freindlies. Both Holland and Japan came into pre-WC freindlies with studs up looking to injure people. In both games the US could have matched the intensity and there would have been a bunch if injuries on both sides or they could have backed off and avoided potential injury situations. In both of those cases they chose the latter which is not a team taking a friendly more serious than the other and is two complwtely different generations of pkayers that made the same decisions. I wish Stuart Holden would have taken the game against Holland less seriously and not been in a situation where DeJong could have injured him; US may have gotten further in 2010 WC witha a healthy Hilden who may have been their best player at the time of the injury. I expect no less from Japan this time and I expect the US will back off again to avoid injuries in a meaningless game. Incidentally, Landon Donovan essentially stopped playing after DeJong went studs up on Holden, which of course, should have been a straight red card, but so should his studies in the chest during the WC final that ensued.
Tele57,
The possibility of injury is separate from the point I’m making about friendlies being at best, high level practice.
You can get a career ending injury at any point in soccer even if you aren’t playing. Spain had goalkeeper Canizares miss the World Cup because he cut a tendon on his toe on broken glass after he dropped his aftershave bottle in the bathroom. And of course no matter whether it is a WC game or just practice , you’re just one mistimed tackle from your career being over.
Stu taking on De Jong at any point in any game was always taking a risk of getting hurt. After all, the guy was nicknamed “The Lawnmower”. Soccer is a contact sport.
And for what it’s worth DeJong tackle wasn’t the one that finished Stu.
It was Jony Evans who ended Stu’s career.
The upcoming friendlies are likely to be more intense and competitive than a normal friendly because of the circumstances. You’re probably going to get WC intensity from all of these teams but it won’t be for 90 + minutes. Maybe 45-70 at best. And in the real world, slack off for one minute or less in a game and you’re done. So it is still practice, just at a much higher level.
By the way,
Holden, Jermaine Jones, Charlie Davies. All three missed the 2010 WC due to injury (Stu was there but literally played one minute, vs England) .
I hate to think how far Bob might gone if he had had those guys fit and healthy.
Vac, I certainly agree that freindlies are meaningless exhibitions. The idea that previous coaches had “statement” wins in frendlies is something I completely disagree with. The 3rd place game against Canafa in Nations League is a game that shouldn’t even be played. I’m sure none of the European based players on either team wanted to play and Alfonso Davies tore his ACL – what a complete waste. I put no credence in that game either.
Boy, both Holden and John O’Brien might have been our best play making midfielders of all time if they had stayed healthy. In the WC where O’Brien shined, I thought he was noticeably better than Claudio Reyna, who was no slouch. DeJong was an out and out dirty player. I don’t recall Japan ever being rough or dirty. I think they have always relied on quickness.
Tele57
Healthy Holden, healthy Davis, healthy Jones. (Yeah I know he hadn’t switched yet but the US was not looking at him cause he was hurt. Had he been healthy Bob would have called him in. Plus Gooch was hurt too. Take away that bogus call on Bradley and I think we had good odds to make it to semi final game. But F the netherlands and Dejong for hurting Stu.
What could have been. I think Jones had already switched to US a that point but was injured.
Jermaine was all set but he had broken his shin(!!).. Charlie not being there completely changed the offense.
If Stu and JJ had been fit in 2010 it would have altered MB90’s USMNT career.
Gary,
Advancing has become so vital that it is SOP to not allow the more talented team to “play”.
Lesser teams in CONCACAF do to Panama what they have been trying to do to us for a long time.
And we do the same thing to more “gifted” teams.
And all of the Serious World Cup contenders are more gifted than us in attacking terms.
That is one reason why friendlies are very misleading. Americans take friendlies far more seriously than any other country I can think of. This run of friendlies the USMNT has before the World Cup is a little different given the circumstances but they are all really just practice games , with some practices harder than others.
A truthly “EVIL” comment.
Weah has been our most consistently productive attacking player after CP for the last several years. His speed out wide plus quality end product is one of our only real attacking threats. We need him.
Am I the only one who hasn’t forgiven Weah?
Yeah, this guy sums up this generation. Entitled and whiny…
What is to forgive?
Vacqui,
That is a dumb question on your part. Clearly, he is referring to the red card Weah received in the 2024 Copa America vs Panama.
When you post dumb questions like that, you are on par with dumb comments…”Pulisic is really not a winger…made by others aka 2tone.
PG,
There are no dumb questions.
Only dumb answers
Weah is an interesting player. I’ve seen quite a few of his club games over the last couple of years as well as his national team appearances. He’s never bad, but sometimes he seems kind of invisible, then about very 3rd or 4th game he will score a good goal or make an important run or assist that really helps. As for the players who were called in, I don’t understand why Pochettino didn’t call in any of the European players it would be good to see. Guys like Tolkin, Sands, Tessman, Paxton Aaronson, Paredes, etc. We have a number of guys now playing in top 5 leagues that we don’t know if they are good enough for international play. I think it is generally agreed that Roldan is strictly a CONCACAF level international. The last couple of games I’ve seen of Seattle, his brother Alex seems to be playing a more important role than Christian.
Paredes is hurt again. Tessmann has been in 3 Poch camps so i think they feel they know what he brings. Pax was in all summer and just moved to Colorado. Tolkin in all summer too and didn’t really get a break. Sands I thought might get a shot, but if you look at his passing numbers they’re really low for a DM. Christian has been better than Alex this season. Christian sits a little deeper these days so you might notice Alex more as bombs up the line (Alex was really good in Leagues Cup though) so maybe you notice him more. I think CR is competition for Luca’s spot. Luca wants to carry it forward, but in GC seldom connected on the ball to the attackers. Roldan has been one of, if not the best passers, out of the DM spot in MLS. He has a better completion % and 3 more progressive passes completed per game than Luca. Roldan is also a much stronger defender than Luca that allows Adams to be more aggressive defensively because he’s got cover. Zawadzki provides a real passing defender (much more sound than Arfsten) that can drop in line with the CBs and allow both FBs to push forward in attack, instead of Freeman or Dest staying deep. Let’s also not forget that Christian is the ultimate “vibes” guy, works his tail off, doesn’t complain, known as a great teammate that reads the game well from the sidelines and passes that information to his teammates. It will be interesting.
Johnnyrazor,
Regarding Sands, what stat for “passing numbers” are you referencing?
Papi,
According to FBRef
Passes attempted 41 per 26th percentile.
Pass completion 76% 10th percentile
Progressive passes per 3.15 16th percentile
These are probably a bit off because he’s had limited time at StP, but in MLS he was mid pack with 86 completion percentage.
The players I listed were just examples, not an all inclusive list, as I thought I indicated. There are a number of US players that haven’t gotten much of a tryout with the US team that maybe deserve one. that was all I was saying, I’m not saying those players mentioned were the end all and be all. One thing I am saying is that Roldan is well know and has enough caps that we don’t need to see him again at this time.
Argentina starting two MLS players in Messi and De Paul, and a thid former MLS player in Almada. Messi with two goals and Almada with an assist.
Top leagues are now signing more and more MLS players. We might be getting close to the Dutch league soon if we aren’t there yet. SDFC, just in its first year, has 10 players called up for this international break. Admittedly some are not major teams, but Dreyer started the last 2 games for Denmark in the prior break and I think he had a goal and an assist and the Danes usually have good teams. His performance in MLS has obviously helped his standing internationally.
2tone
Labeling Messi and DePaul as MLS players reminded me of when JK started MLS players Bradley and Dempsey. Technically accurate but….
Panama draws 0-0 at Suriname. Panama is finding out it’s not so fun when the other team packs 8 and 9 defenders in the box. In NL in March they had 3 shots all match but won. Tonight 15 shots and couldn’t score. NL one nearly perfectly placed shot from a tough angle, tonight 4 on target mostly hit right at the keeper, although one had a lot of pace and looked dramatic. Sometimes it’s just about finishing your chances.
Probably more than sometimes …
Unless it’s an own goal it’s usually better to finish more chances than your opponent.
JR, true – Agoos scored the best US goal of the 2002 WC but unfortunately it went into his own net.
they are learning that it is harder when the underdog raises its game and parks the bus like you said. That’s how Panama has managed to earn draws with us so often in the past few years. so it’s only fair they get a dose of their own medicine.
Gary,
Advancing has become so vital that it is SOP to not allow the more talented team to “play”.
Lesser teams in CONCACAF do to Panama what they have been doing to us for a long time. And we do the same thing to more “gifted” teams.
And all of the Serious World Cup contenders are more gifted than us in attacking terms.
Of course this run of friendlies the USMNT has before the World Cup is different given the circumstances but that is one reason why friendlies are very misleading.
Americans take friendlies far more seriously than any other country I can think of. They are all really just practice games , with some practices harder than others.