INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Brazil’s wily, trophy laden manager Carlo Ancelotti can hardly have his soccer knowledge questioned. However, one of his pre-tournament predictions has fallen flat thus far.
“I think that the stars aren’t going to determine this World Cup,” the five-time Champions League winner warned. Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Cristiano Ronaldo and even his own Vinicius Junior would sincerely disagree.
The stars have not been exclusively contained to the pitch. Brazil’s matches have lured a raft of soccer royalty to the stands, Scotland’s fans are practically celebrities in their own right these days, while even Côte d’Ivoire vs. Ecuador convinced Jay-Z to come out to Philadelphia.
However, the U.S. men’s national team has been the scene for the largest collection of glamorous figures, especially their two group-stage clashes in a town which cherishes those even moderately well known more than any other.
Brad Pitt and Ed Norton
The co-stars stars of Fight Club reunited for a 90-minute battle with fewer bloody knuckles but the same rampant obsession with consumerism. One can only imagine what Tyler Durden would have made of beer being sold at SoFi for $25.
Leonardo DiCaprio
After being so famous for so long, Leonadro DiCaprio seems sick of the attention. Huddled underneath a baseball cap which wasn’t fooling anyone, the Oscar winner went to the lengths of hiding behind his bottle of beer. The stadium camera stubbornly stayed fixed on DiCaprio as he appeared to visibly shrink.
Scottie Pippen
The Chicago Bulls icon is perhaps the greatest second option in NBA history. It felt fitting that the man who spent so much time playing in someone else’s shadow should pick the fixture played by the USMNT’s second string.
Lady Usha Vance
While President Donald Trump continues to skirt a tournament he spent so much of the buildup widely praising, the White House representation was provided by Usha Vance, the American lawyer and second lady of the United States.
Owen Wilson
The co-star in promotions for Telemundo’s Spanish-language U.S. coverage of the World Cup has clearly taken his advertising duties seriously, extending the bit right onto the pitch of the USMNT’s group stage finale.
Paris Hilton
Never doubt the power of consistency. Paris Hilton’s attendance at the USMNT’s first two matches earned her the honor of taking the match ball out ahead of kickoff. Whether getting a ticket for two games should be enough to justify such a duty—the U.S. women’s national team star Trinity Rodman was chosen for this task in Seattle—is another debate.
Ashton Kutcher
You couldn’t move for celebrities at SoFi, especially stars of those sort of romantic comedies which all start to blend into one.
Jessica Alba
Jessica Alba has been pictured around the U.S. soccer team since the 2010 World Cup. Rarely before would she have seen such a competent and likeable group of players represent the country. Unfortunately, they all started this match on the bench.
Matthew Stafford
The Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is entirely familiar with the challenge Sebastian Berhalter faced trying to direct play from the middle of the SoFi Stadium pitch. The Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder got almost as roughed as Stafford, although didn’t have the benefit of any pads.
Blake Snell
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell made it across to Inglewood on Thursday night. Hopefully he didn’t come straight from the mound at Dodger Stadium because he would have had to set off hours in advance to avoid the traffic which defines this city.
Keegan-Michael Key and Jaime Camil
While comedian Keegan-Michael Key took the straightforward approach of donning a U.S. jersey, Mexican actor Jaime Camil pulled out all the stops, countering the mass of Stars and Stripes on display in L.A. with the zig-zags once sported by Mexico goalkeeping icon Jorge Campos.
Alison Brie, Dave Franco and Christopher Mintz-Plasse
No, this was not a reunion of a Disney show with a convoluted premise even tweens would have been able to pick apart before getting canceled. But plenty of actors who could have appeared in such a production were in the stands.
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