A lot of American teams have captured the imagination of fans and earned such monikers as the “Dream Team.” But none is quite like the gathering of soccer talent that thrashed Paraguay 4-1 on June 12 and will take on Australia on June 19 in its second World Cup match. 

It goes by the rather ordinary name of U.S. Men's National Team (USMNT). But there’s nothing ordinary about this diverse assortment of brash, driven, articulate, enterprising, hip, multilingual and immensely likable young men who defy convention and sneer at boundaries.  

They cut quite the figure, to say the least, with their fascinating backgrounds and engaging stories. 

From a son of a former president to a striker who got an assist from the 14th Amendment

One of them, winger Tim Weah, has four nationalities and is the son of a former president ‒ George Weah, who led Liberia from 2018-24 and who also was once FIFA World Player of the Year. 

Another, winger and midfielder Christian Pulisic, chartered a jet in 2016 to get to his high school prom in Pennsylvania. (Don’t we all?) It then brought him back to Kansas City the next day in time for him to score against Bolivia. 

Midfielder Weston McKennie is equal parts comic and keen analyst of the human condition. Defensive........

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