June 13, 2026

All The Celebs Who Came Out To Watch USMNT World Cup Opener In LA

2026 FIFA World Cup, USMNT

An air of optimism envelops the United States Men’s National Team in what is set to be their 11th World Cup appearance at the 2026 event. Bronze medalists at the inaugural edition nearly a century ago, the Stars and Stripes have since made it past the Round of 16 only once in 2002.

However, an influx of talent in the ongoing decade has given the team reasons to believe again. More players represent them in the top five European leagues than ever before, leading to the dreaded tag of ‘golden generation’.

While things did not go to plan in Qatar in 2022 where they crashed out after losing 3-1 to the Netherlands, the Stars and Stripes have made a major upgrade for the home event. Argentine Mauricio Pochettino was appointed at the helm two years ago, the former Ligue 1 winner and UEFA Champions League finalist thus becoming their highest-profile manager ever by far. And in their tournament curtain raiser against Paraguay at the Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood on June 13, the results were instantly visible.

The hosts quickly took charge of what started out as an intense end-to-end contest by opening the account in the seventh minute. A mazing run by Christian Pulisic culminated in Weston McKennie’s cross being deflected into the net for an own-goal. In the 30th minute, Florian Balogun doubled the lead with a finish from six yards shortly after he had a goal disallowed. At the stroke of half-time, the AS Monaco striker made it a brace by fighting off challenges from two defenders before curling a left-footed shot into the top corner.

Mauricio earned Paraguay a consolation goal in the 73rd minute, but the crowning moment of the night arrived deep into stoppage time. Gio Reyna received the ball just outside the box in the 98th minute, and after a couple of steps executed a dreamy trivela to beat the keeper all hands up.

The effort brought the packed arena to its feet and left the high-profile crowd dreaming all over again. Safe to say, the goal and the ensuing 4-1 result was only appropriate given the sheer glitz that littered the Inglewood stands. Afterall, the grandest sporting festival had landed a few miles away from Hollywood, and Tinseltown was never going to miss the opportunity to have a night out.

A day ago, Ryan Reynolds had set the tone by watching his beloved Canada secure their first ever World Cup point against Bosnia Herzegovina. The USA is nothing if not competitive, and boy did the stars show up in droves to show their love for the country extends beyond just American sports.

The attendees ranged from A-listers to pop-stars, corporate moguls, as well as national sporting icons past and present.