'It's all a part of my story' - Ambassador, artist and USMNT star Tim Weah is ready to play his part ahead of a home World Cup

For years, people have debated and dissected what the upcoming World Cup will mean for American soccer. Few are better equipped to answer that question than Weah. That's because, in some ways, he's the perfect representation of American soccer.

He's the son of a Liberian soccer legend who went on to lead a country. He's also the son of a Jamaican nurse who has spent her adult life fighting for the less fortunate. He spent parts of his childhood in New York and Florida, speaks multiple languages, and has lived in Paris, Glasgow, Lille, Turin, and Marseille throughout his playing career. What's more American than that?

Not much, as it turns out. And the USMNT is a representation of that. It's a mix of people from different states and different backgrounds. Some grew up in the U.S., and others found it at different points in their life. Weah has experience with them all. He has experiences of his own, too.

"Everywhere I've been, I kind of take a bit of something from those places," he says. "Most importantly, what I've taken from those places is just the love that I have for people in general and for the world. I think being able to travel and see different places and connect with different cultures and traditions is kind of what I grew up doing. Being in New York, you kind of get a bit of everything."

That's what this summer promises: a bit of everything. Not just for Weah, but for everyone who's involved with this World Cup. In normal circumstances, World Cups are chaotic and crazy. They're also quite possibly the biggest showcases of humanity you can put together. All of that is rolling into North America this summer for what promises to be the biggest tournament yet, in size, scale, and scope.

So what does it mean to Weah? Well, again, a little bit of everything.

"It's a big moment," he says. "I think when a country, in general, gets a World Cup, it's a huge moment. I think, with the sport still growing in our country, I think it's amazing. We want football to be played on every corner of the United States, so being at the forefront of that is an amazing feeling. Just having the opportunity to inspire the younger generation and represent those who feel like maybe representation is missing, I think that's a wonderful feeling, too. I think it's going to be exciting. Hopefully, we can get a lot of positives out of it."

Weah had his moment in 2022. He hopes to have a similar one in 2026. In the years since his tournament-opening goal in Qatar, he's thought about it often. It was the culmination of everything he had done prior. It's also a moment that he doesn't necessarily want to define him. He believes he has more to offer than the one goal he scored years ago.

The commercial is, in many ways, quintessential Weah. The camera pans over a soccer field before settling on a piano as a man walks up. There's a zoom on the New Balance boots, because this is their commercial, after all. Then there's a zoom on the man as Weah sits down and begins to play the piano as the camera swivels around him. Sunglasses, a suit, a smile, tapping feet, and a man in his happy place.

Weah, at his core, is an artist. He's made music for as long as he can remember. He finds beauty in writing, painting, and fashion. To him, there's something special about making something out of nothing, no matter the medium. His medium just so happens to be a soccer field. He sees that as his canvas, the one where he can take the ball at his feet and create something all his own.

Athletes and artists are often put into separate buckets, but Weah doesn't necessarily see it that way. He believes the two are one and the same. The skillsets are different, but the mindsets are identical. Because of that, being an athlete doesn't make him less of an artist; in fact, he thinks it makes him more of one.

"Being a creative in itself is what being an athlete is all about," he says. "You want to show your best on the field. You want to show what you can do, and that's what artists do on a canvas. They're trying to show their best art, and they're trying to expose that to the world.

"It's a wonderful thing to have talent and be able to share that talent with the world."

Weah's best talents are on the soccer field, and that talent has brought him further than even he could have imagined. It's also put him into contact with so many people who have changed how he sees life. He counts himself fortunate that way.

Weah, as a person, is often described as quiet. He opens up once he knows you, teammates say, but, until then, he's content to sit there and listen. It's not because he's an introvert, as many expect that answer to be. It's because, at the very start, he's generally trying to figure out who the person he's talking to really is.

"I love hearing stories," he says. "I love learning people's stories. Just sitting and having those conversations and exchanging how I grew up and how they grew up, just little things like that, I think a conversation heals the world. That's kind of my vibe."

The stories Weah is often asked to tell are centered around soccer. What was childhood like with a Ballon d'Or winner for a father? How does life change when you're in the Champions League? Who are the best players he's played against? What's the best goal he's ever scored?

Those stories are fine. He spoke to GOAL about many of them during the March camp. He still loves telling ones about 2022. He's willing to open up about the hard parts of 2024. He's eager to tell ones about his road to 2026, whether good or bad, because that's what life is about.

"One thing I always say is that I'm a people lover, and one thing I've always appreciated about the sport is how humbling the journey is," he says. "I think when I meet a fan, they tend to belittle themselves, because they think that, ‘Oh, he's a superstar, and we watch him on TV’, but being able to come down to earth and share stories with fans, and be able to show them that we're all humans and we're all able to love the same way is amazing. We’re no different."

Weah is different, though. In a world where everyone is fighting to live out their dreams, Weah will likely live out his this summer for the second time. He knows now the weight of that dream, not just for himself but for millions of others who will feel it's part of theirs, too.

Weah always knew what soccer meant. How could he not? When you carry the Weah last name, it's easy to understand the impact the sport can make. Soccer introduced his father, George, to the world and, from that introduction, he became the face of his home, both politically and as a larger-than-life hero. That's the type of platform the sport can provide. That's what that ball can do to connect you to people.

"I kind of knew that from the jump, I think," he says. "Growing up in a football family, you kind of know what it is, just from all the stories and all the videos."

Weah probably won't ever be president and probably won't ever be the face of his country. He can connect with people, though. In many ways, that's never been easier, particularly for athletes. The world is in the palm of your hand now, and not metaphorically. With a few taps on a cell phone screen, anyone can reach anyone about anything. That rings true during a World Cup, too.

"This is a big moment for the U.S. in general," he says. "I think getting this World Cup during this age, the social media age, is going to be huge. I think, for the culture, it's going to be amazing and everyone's going to want to put their kid into football. Everyone's going to want to know more about it, and it's just going to bring us together as a nation. I think that's the most beautiful thing about it.

"Essentially, soccer is a sport, but this event, as a whole, just brings families together, brings strangers together. We want to spread love and joy. I think that's our role as main actors in this World Cup."

That idea brings everything back to the start: Weah is just one of the many actors in this World Cup story. He'll play his part, and he'll play it well, he hopes, and then the story will keep rolling on. Soccer never ends, and none of the people who play it are around for long. All those people can do, then, is hope they do something worthy of remembering.

That's what this summer is about for Weah. Those are the types of performances he wants to put in. More performers will come, and some will shine brighter than others. This summer, though, is another chance for him to take the stage and be a part of something that could change his country for good.

"I think the cycle just continues," he says. "Honestly, we had guys that we looked up to, and now we're the guys in the position, and we hold a lot of power, because, as I said, the World Cup coming up is in our home, and this is going to be a big moment for all of us and all of our families. It's just a moment to represent and inspire. Being at the forefront of that is a wonderful feeling, and being able to wear that badge at home in such a prestigious tournament is a dream come true.

"I'm still kind of living out my kiddie dreams. I’m trying to put on for everyone."

So begins the biggest performance in American soccer history. What a story that might be, not just for Weah, but for everyone else hoping to see their dreams come true, no matter their role in this particular story.