Juventus' Weston McKennie and Tim Weah, Porto's Stephen Eustaquio among CONCACAF players to watch at Club World Cup

There may not be a player at Juventus who has had to fight as hard for their place as McKennie. Now, there may not be a player as important to their squad.

McKennie has done a little bit of everything for Juve, becoming a vital piece of the team in whatever position they put him in. Consistent and reliable, McKennie has more than proven his doubters wrong, establishing himself as a player who could be a part of this Juventus project for years to come.

The Old Lady are in that second tier of favorites, the ones that have a chance to go on a run but aren't quite in that elite tier earmarked to win it. If Juve do go on a run, though, you can bet on McKennie playing a big role.

Joining McKennie in the Juve squad is Weah, who, like his USMNT teammate, has had to do a little bit of everything for the club.

Whether a winger, a No. 9 or a wingback, Weah has filled whatever role the Italian giants have asked of him. He's netted five goals in Serie A this season after failing to net in his first campaign in Italy last season. This season has been a step forward for the USMNT winger in that regard, no doubt.

There could be a shakeup at Juve this summer, but it seems Weah is there to stay and will certainly get some run at the Club World Cup this summer.

There are times when his importance for Canada is overlooked, but make no mistake, Eustaquio is as solid a midfielder as there is in the CONCACAF region.

That theme extends over to Porto, where Eustaquio is a mainstay for the Portuguese giants. The club finished third in the league this season, a failure by Porto standards, but Eustaquio has remained ever-present, as he has since he signed permanently in 2022.

The 28-year-old midfielder is a star for Canada, too, serving as vice-captain on the road to the World Cup next summer.

Born in Argentina, Berterame's career was made in Mexico, where he's emerged as a legitimate Liga MX star.

Since joining Monterrey in 2022, Berterame has had goal totals of 11, 11, and 20 over those three campaigns, following up on a 17-goal breakout with Atletico San Luis in 2021-22. There's no doubt who the key man is in the Monterrey attack these days.

That fact earned Berterame a first Mexico call-up in the fall as he made his debut against the USMNT in October.

The 19-year-old midfielder is one of the rising stars of Mexican soccer, so much so that another club in this competition, Atletico Madrid, has reportedly registered interest. This, then, will be a great moment for Montiel to put himself in the shop window.

Montiel made some headlines for the wrong reason a few weeks back, though, as his karate kick to James Rodriguez earned him a sending off. Don't let that overshadow just how good the teenager is, though, and he still can get a lot better.

Check back in a few weeks but, for now, Reyna is on the list.

It hasn't gone well with Borussia Dortmund, to put it lightly, and all signs point to him leaving the club this summer in an effort to rebuild his career. If he doesn't, though, Reyna could travel to the U.S. this summer, and questions will remain about what his future holds. Either way, all eyes are on Reyna this summer, whether he ultimately suits up for Dortmund or not.

A regular for Mexico at the last Copa America, the 26-year-old fullback has also been key for Monterrey since joining the club in January 2024. Arteaga was a Best XI selection during the 2024 Clausura, having established himself as one of Liga MX's best in his position.

Arteaga is a consistent starter for Monterrey, starting 16 times so far this season before his club's loss to Toluca in the Clausura quarterfinals.

All eyes will, of course, be on Inter Miami's other stars but, while nearly all of those players are in the final years of their careers, Cremaschi is just getting going. Europe is watching and this Club World Cup could very well be his breakout.

The 20-year-old midfielder has been a regular for Inter Miami since 2023 and clearly has a massive future for the USMNT. He already has an Olympic appearance under his belt last summer, and this summer will be just as key for the young star to show what he can do on a bigger stage than MLS.

It isn't speculation to say that Vargas will look to use this summer to boost his stock; Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer said it himself.

"Young Obed Vargas, let's just say he has a good game against Atletico Madrid," Schmetzer told GOAL. "Let's just see, and does that make his market value go higher?"

The Alaska-born teenager took a big step with Mexico's national team in the fall, making his debut against the USMNT. He also has big game experience in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, too, which should come in very handy.

Picault is very much the forgotten man in the Inter Miami attack, which makes sense given the superstars around him. The Haitian star has been valuable in recent weeks, though, scoring two goals in as many appearances amid Miami's recent MLS slide.

The 34-year-old winger could see his role diminish if Miami makes signings ahead of the tournament, but at the moment, his combination of experience and pace could certainly make a difference for the Herons.

In general, Canada feels a bit underrepresented on this list, but they would be right at the very top if not for a tough injury. Alphonso Davies' absence hits hard for both Canada and Bayern Munich, and the tournament will be missing his CONCACAF star power this summer.

For Americans looking for a new generation of stars, Borussia Dortmund starlets Cole Campbell and Mathis Albert could end up being part of the traveling party and, depending on how things shake out, could feature for their team. Same for Josh Wynder, who is on the precipice of a breakout at Benfica as they gear up for this summer's tournament.

There's also one more spot up for grabs between LAFC and Club America, and either side would bring some more CONCACAF flavor. LAFC features the likes of Timothy Tillman and Aaron Long, both of whom have USMNT experience, while Club America star Alejandro Zendejas will be vital to their hopes if the Mexican giants do end up taking that spot.