Tim Weah and Weston McKennie have landed themselves in hot water after the Juventus duo blasted the lack of variety in Italian cuisine.
The USMNT stars have sparked a nationwide backlash after their comments on a recent episode of Juventus Talk With Us where they discussed their culinary experiences.
Unsurprisingly, Italian residents and former Azzurri soccer pros didn’t take too kindly to their views. The pair made comparisons between American dishes which shocked a number of people online.
Tim Weah And Weston McKennie On Italian Cuisine
On June 13, USMNT’s Weston McKennie agreed to a Juventus contract extension. However, the Old Lady faithful will not be happy about the way he and Tim Weah slammed Italian food.
“You guys don’t have variety – it’s pasta, pizza, fish, steak,” McKennie said.
“You know what the problem is with Italian food? It’s great, it’s good specific food that you do very well, but in America if I go to a burger joint or a steakhouse, then I go to another place 10 minutes down the street, I’m still eating a burger, but it’s a completely different taste.
“In Italy, I go to this restaurant and get a pesto pasta, I go 10 minutes down the street and order a pesto pasta, it’s the same thing.”
Weah chimed in by claiming “Italian food is trash.” Such remarks soon generated traction online. It’s probably wise that both players don’t go out for dinner in Turin until the dust has settled.
Tim Weah And Weston McKennie Backlash
Owing to their comments, Tim Weah and Weston McKennie endured a number of negative replies. One of the most vocal came in the form of retired goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano.
The 39-year-old wasted no time at all in reacting to the Juventus duo on TV Play. He even claimed that he ‘wouldn’t let him [McKennie] back in Italy.’
“The United States is the country with the worst food in the world,” Viviano passionately exclaimed.
“They would even deep-fry the soles of their shoes. If I was [Italian prime minister Giorgia] Meloni, I wouldn’t let him back into Italy! How can you say there’s no variety in Italian cuisine?
“His very definition of ‘variety’ irritated me. McKennie, there are 200 million of you Americans and all you ever eat are hamburgers.”
Viviano ended his stinging assessment of Weah and McKennie’s comments by insisting that he has managed to infuriate a whole nation. Not just soccer fans.
“The truth is, all the food in America was brought there by other nations. I just want to tell McKennie that he has achieved the incredible feat of managing to unite all of Italy against him. It is not about fans anymore, he can be insulted by absolutely everybody.”
Will Tim Weah And Weston McKennie Play For Juventus In 2025-26?
Weston McKennie appears to be staying put after he agreed to pen a new contract earlier this month. However, Nottingham Forest are strongly linked with Tim Weah.
The best offshore sportsbooks firmly believe the American’s time is up in Turin. Which is possibly just as well after he labelled Italian food as ‘trash.’
Forest are reportedly in advanced talks with Weah alongside club team-mate Samuel Mbangula. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side is aiming to strike a double deal worth €23million.
