The bulging support group assembled around this United States men’s national soccer team includes a few unusual characters.
Among them? Two chaplains, who help players and staff with their ‘holistic spiritual health’; three puppies named Bud, Dew Drop and Bloom, who were brought to the team hotel to help players decompress after victory over Paraguay; and one barber whose list of clients includes stars from across this World Cup.
Sheldon Edwards is perhaps soccer’s most famous hairdresser, the man behind ‘HD Cutz’ who has amassed more than 2million followers on social media. His Instagram feed features a who’s who of sporting royalty.
In the last few months alone, he has been called on to cut the hair of William Saliba (France), Antonio Rudiger (Germany), Vinicius Jr (Brazil) and several England players such as Declan Rice, Ivan Toney and Bukayo Saka.
Edwards is typically based in London but during the opening weeks of this World Cup, he has been working near Laguna Beach as the USA’s team barber.
Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, Folarin Balogun and Mauricio Pochettino have all sat in his chair. Edwards has known the USA coach since Pochettino’s days at Tottenham and the barber has even been wearing USMNT apparel at the team hotel.
Balogun grew up in London and came through the Arsenal academy around the same time as Saka. So earlier this week, the Daily Mail asked the striker if any England players had been in touch, frustrated that Edwards is embedded with the USA.
He said no but he did have a message for those other teams who missed out on their favorite barber: ‘We got him,’ Balogun said.
In the minds of some US soccer fans, this tournament has posed a tricky dilemma: at a time when the country is divided and politics are divisive, is it possible to show your support for this national team while making plain your opposition to events off the pitch?
Turns out it is. A few days ago, a special foam finger was released. It is called ‘The American Duality’ and it is reversible. One side carries the Stars and Stripes of the USMNT. The other reads ‘F*CK ICE’ and has the middle finger sticking up.
It was designed by Uncommon with the strapline: ‘One hand. Two Truths. Support your team. Hate your country.’ And the fingers have begun popping up around World Cup venues.
Despite his close relationship with FIFA president Gianni Infantino and his starring role at last year’s World Cup draw, Donald Trump has so far stayed away from games. So, it seems, have immigration enforcement agents.
But the president is due to hand over the World Cup trophy at next month’s final. Who knows what messages he might see in the stands of MetLife Stadium?
A foam finger has been released for USA fans to ‘support your team’ and ‘hate your country’
One rose from a trailer park in East Texas to become one of US soccer’s greatest players. The other – along with his identical twin – co-founded a Los Angeles real estate firm that is the subject of hit two Netflix series.
But there they were, wandering through Seattle airport – side by side – to board the same flight that was carrying us peasants back to LA: Clint Dempsey and Jason or Brett Oppenheim. Just don’t ask me which one.
It was a few hours after the USA’s World Cup win over Australia at Lumen Field and the sight of this pair posed so many questions. How did their paths cross? What on earth could they be talking about?
Dempsey won 141 caps for the United States in a brilliant career that took him to three World Cups. He now spends his days talking about soccer on TV.
The Oppenheim Group flog luxury real estate around Southern California. Since 2019, their deals and carefully-curated drama has been broadcast on ‘Selling Sunset’ and ‘Selling the OC.’
But only one passenger can sit in seat 1A. And on this flight, it wasn’t the bloke who sells sunset. He was relegated to a few rows behind Dempsey.
USMNT legend Clint Dempsey was spotted hanging out with one half of the Oppenheim twins
Pity Chris Brady, the third-choice goalkeeper in Pochettino’s USA squad. The 22-year-old emerged as a rising star for Chicago Fire in MLS before earning his place at this World Cup.
But if the keeper thought he had made it, he was cruelly brought back down to earth after the USMNT’s opener against Paraguay.
After leaving the locker room, Brady wandered the through the mixed zone – a winding walkway where journalists can ask players for an interview.
He was about halfway across the room when someone asked for a chat. Brady seemed surprised – not because they wanted to speak, but because they had called him ‘Chris’.
He then revealed that, around the corner, several journalists had confused him with Tim Ream in the hope of speaking to the USA captain. At 38, Ream is 16 years his senior.
A week later, when Brady entered the mixed zone following the US’s win over Australia, one journalist jokingly shouted: ‘Oh, look! It’s Tim Ream again!’ Thankfully Brady took it in good spirits.
USMNT goalkeeper Chris Brady (left) has been confused with team captain Tim Ream (right)
It would appear that any campaign to ‘defund the police’ is struggling to cut through in Irvine. Earlier this week, the exhaustive security operation around the USMNT’s World Cup base included a branded Tesla Cybertruck.
Back in October 2024, the Irvine PD boasted that it had bought ‘what we believe’ is America’s first police Cybertruck. It reportedly cost $153,000 and was supposed to be help spice up anti-drug events at local schools.
‘For over three decades, our DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) officers have driven attention-grabbing and one-of-a-kind vehicles that never fail to turn heads and excite students,’ the department said at the time.
It was also bought to help ‘connect’ officers with locals. ‘Driving a unique vehicle such as the Cybertruck start[s] positive conversation and promote[s] community interaction,’ the department said. Now it seemingly helps to keep soccer players safe, too.
