McKenny: I am the kind of person who accepts zero goals but wins. The Club World Cup is the closest to the World Cup.

Juventus American midfielder McKennie was interviewed by FIFA's official website and talked about the upcoming Club World Cup.

Talking about my adaptability on the court

McKenny: If you arrange for me to be a goalkeeper and tell me to start immediately, then I will go to guard the goal. At least I'm on the court, I just want to do my best to help the team and win the game. If you tell me I scored two goals and we lost, or I didn’t score but we won, I’m the kind of person who takes zero goals but wins. So this is certainly not difficult for me.

I think it doesn't seem too difficult for me to understand all characters by just playing a certain position: whether you're playing a left back, right back or forward, I understand what I need to do in those characters.

This is something I have always been good at psychologically. I think I had a lot of different sports as a kid and often needed to adapt, and always had to adapt to a lot of things in my life, which helped me.

I am not a selfish person or something like that. I'm not the kind of person who thinks, 'Oh, if I don't play this position, I don't want to play anymore'. I'm the kind of person who says 'I'll play wherever you want me to play'.

Talking about the upcoming Club World Cup

McKennie: This is an incredible opportunity, especially in the United States. I think this is the most exciting aspect. I believe that any professional athlete and anyone with a competitive spirit will have the goal to go there and win.

So, obviously, our mindset is to go there, go all out in the tournament, and try to win a trophy. I think that's the most exciting aspect: being able to compete with teams we don't normally play against.

I think the Club World Cup is a bit like the Champions League, but the culture involved here is more diverse, and it is an event held worldwide. I think this is the closest event to the World Cup, although it is not a real national team, but a club event, and in some teams there are many players from different continents and cultures.

I think it would be a great opportunity for the players to understand the level of world football: Italian players can see what it means against a Mexican Premier League team or a U.S. team. This will be great.

Opening days during the Club World Cup

McKenny: A rest day with the team? I might organize a lakeside event, go to a place with a small beach lake, Lake Lewisville, I would take a few boats there, we would play beach volleyball, play beach soccer, and I would definitely do that. Then I will have a barbecue, a large American barbecue, and relax. I'll light a bonfire. Many people don’t know what ‘s 'mores’ are, so it’s bonfires, marshmallows, Hershey chocolate and graham crackers. I'll let them experience it.

About the United States - Juventus

McKennie: I would say: The answer is simple: we have two American players (McKennie and Timothy Wea). This is my answer. Very simple. I hope there will be a great atmosphere. I hope the fans can support us. A lot of Americans want to see which club teams will play in this event, so I think our attendance will be very good.

Regarding the opportunities brought by the upcoming 2026 World Cup in the United States

McKenny: I think this opportunity is huge. The United States has made significant progress in this regard, bringing in players such as Messi, Suarez, Alba, Busquets, and before Beckham and Ibrahimovic... This is bringing more attention to the sport there.

For Americans, it's a great thing to be able to watch games at their doorstep without considering jet lag, not having to stay up late or get up early to watch football in the United States. I believe this will attract more attention, and when the real World Cup comes, I think it will be very important for American football culture.