USMNT camp’s – From two chaplains and three puppies at a World Cup hotel to a USA fan foam finger that flips between Stars and Stripes and a “F*CK ICE” message, the USMNT camp has become a magnet for unexpected attention. Even the team’s nearby barber—who has cut stars inclu
The USMNT’s World Cup base has never lacked for noise, but lately it has come in unusual forms—soft, spiritual, and oddly profane.
In the bulging support group assembled around the United States men’s national soccer team. there are two chaplains who help players and staff with their “holistic spiritual health.” There are also three puppies—Bud. Dew Drop and Bloom—brought to the team hotel to help players decompress after the USA’s victory over Paraguay.
And then there’s the barber. Not just any barber: Sheldon Edwards. the man behind “HD Cutz. ” who has built a huge following online. with more than 2 million followers on social media. His Instagram feed has been packed with sporting royalty. and in the last few months alone he has been called on to cut the hair of William Saliba. Antonio Rudiger. Vinicius Jr. and several England players. including 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. and Edwards has even been wearing USMNT apparel at the team hotel. The connection is personal as well as professional—Edwards has known the USA coach since Pochettino’s days at Tottenham.
Balogun’s London upbringing has added a small ripple to the story. Earlier this week. the Daily Mail asked the striker whether any England players had been in touch. frustrated that Edwards is embedded with the USA. Balogun said no—but he did send a message to the teams that missed out on their “favorite barber.” “We got him. ” Balogun said.
That line landed in a tournament already forcing fans to answer a harder question than usual: how do you show up for your national team when the country itself feels split, and politics are divisive?
Some fans have found an answer in foam fingers.
A few days ago, a special finger was released called “The American Duality.” It is reversible. One side carries the Stars and Stripes of the USMNT. The other reads “F*CK ICE,” with the middle finger sticking up. Designed by Uncommon with the strapline “One hand. Two Truths. Support your team. Hate your country,” the fingers have begun popping up around World Cup venues.
The political edge doesn’t seem to be deterring the mainstream theatre of the tournament—if anything. it has intensified the sense that football here is never just football. Donald Trump has so far stayed away from games. despite his close relationship with FIFA president Gianni Infantino and his starring role at last year’s World Cup draw. But the president is due to hand over the World Cup trophy at next month’s final. Who knows what messages might be spotted in the stands of MetLife Stadium when that moment arrives.
The same blend of celebrity and confusion has played out in smaller, more human ways too—sometimes far from the pitch.
After the USA’s World Cup win over Australia at Lumen Field. two famous faces were seen wandering through Seattle airport side by side to board the same flight back to Los Angeles. Clint Dempsey—one of US soccer’s most famous names. who won 141 caps for the United States and played across three World Cups—was spotted alongside one half of the Oppenheim twins. The Oppenheims helped co-found a Los Angeles real estate firm that has become the subject of two Netflix series. “Selling Sunset” and “Selling the OC.” The article notes that only one passenger can sit in seat 1A. and on that flight it “wasn’t the bloke who sells sunset. ” who was relegated to a few rows behind Dempsey.
Back at the team level. the day-to-day reality of a squad in the spotlight comes with its own kind of comedy. Chris Brady—third-choice goalkeeper in Pochettino’s USA squad—entered the World Cup after a rise with Chicago Fire in MLS. But after the US’s opener against Paraguay. he was pulled into the mixed zone and immediately hit by a misunderstanding.
After leaving the locker room, Brady walked through the mixed zone, where journalists can ask players for an interview. He was about halfway across when someone asked for a chat—seemingly surprised. not because they wanted to speak. but because they had called him “Chris.” The reveal was blunt: some journalists had confused him with Tim Ream. hoping to speak to the USA captain. Ream is 38, and the report notes that he is 16 years older than Brady.
A week later, when Brady entered the mixed zone following the US’s win over Australia, another journalist joked: “Oh, look! It’s Tim Ream again!” Brady took it in good spirits.
Even security around the base has turned into a talking point in Irvine. A branded Tesla Cybertruck was reportedly part of an exhaustive security operation around the USMNT’s World Cup base. The local Irvine Police Department had previously advertised that it had bought “what we believe” is America’s first police Cybertruck back in October 2024. It reportedly cost $153,000 and was supposed to help spice up anti-drug events at local schools.
At the time. the department said its DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) officers had driven attention-grabbing. one-of-a-kind vehicles “that never fail to turn heads and excite students. ” and that the truck was meant to “connect” officers with locals. The department said. “Driving a unique vehicle such as the Cybertruck start[s] positive conversation and promote[s] community interaction.” Now the vehicle has been linked to keeping soccer players safe. adding yet another layer to the sense that nothing around this tournament stays strictly on the field.
USMNT World Cup Sheldon Edwards Tyler Adams Weston McKennie Folarin Balogun Mauricio Pochettino Chris Brady Tim Ream Clint Dempsey Oppenheim twins foam finger The American Duality Uncommon Gianni Infantino Donald Trump MetLife Stadium Irvine Police Cybertruck