Weston McKennie debuts red, white, and blue hair ahead of USMNT’s World Cup opener

McKennie is looking to lead the USMNT in the hair department

Weston McKennie is looking to catch the public’s eye at the World Cup.

The U.S. men’s national team midfielder is an unquestioned key to the team’s hopes, but sometimes becoming a World Cup legend requires a distinctive look. Think Carlos Valderrama, or Roberto Baggio’s “divine ponytail,” or Taribo West’s green-and-white braids for Nigeria, or Romania’s entire team dying their hair blonde for the knockout round in 1998, or Ronaldo’s…whatever that was in 2002.

McKennie may or may not have those iconic World Cup looks in mind. Either way, he’s going the extra mile to make sure people notice him in Qatar. Just one day before his team’s opening game against Wales, McKennie changed his trademark hairstyle, coloring his familiar blonde streak red, white, and blue.

McKennie debuted the hair at the last USMNT training session before they face Wales in a Group B match that figures to be enormously consequential. The new colors come just a day after McKennie declared himself fit to play, which is possibly a more important development for U.S. hopes.

But then again, the USMNT over the years has lacked a little when it comes to this kind of visible confidence. This is a team that has generally had a goalkeeper with a shaved head, and a bunch of close-cropped hairstyles among the field players.

McKennie isn’t alone trying to change that. DeAndre Yedlin and Sergiño Dest have both gone with a different shade of platinum blonde, while Walker Zimmerman and Tim Ream are trying to make sure the USMNT has a man-bun advantage over Gareth Bale and Wales.

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