The United States' World Cup opener against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium turned into a Hollywood event as major celebrities arrived for one of the biggest soccer nights in American history.
The Knicks have owned the celebrity conversation during the NBA Finals, especially after Game 4 at Madison Square Garden drew 20.9 million viewers.
But the scene in Los Angeles showed the World Cup can create its own red carpet, with traffic, star power, and national attention all colliding around SoFi.
Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images
As Max Bretos posted, the USA vs Paraguay game had a guest list expected to rival the Knicks, with traffic around Los Angeles also showing how much attention the match was pulling.
Bretos said one trip from Lawndale to Downey took three hours when it would normally take around 40 minutes. That is not a ratings number, but it tells its own story about the size of the event.
The celebrity pull was obvious. USMNT Only showed David Beckham and Tom Cruise at the World Cup opener, two names big enough to give the night immediate global weight.
Reports around the game also linked a heavy Hollywood presence to SoFi, with names including Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson, Teyana Taylor, Halle Berry, Jamie Foxx, Paris Hilton, Sofia Vergara, and Rob Lowe part of the wider celebrity conversation.
That is a different kind of power from Knicks celebrity row. New York had Ben Stiller, Timothée Chalamet, A$AP Rocky, Spike Lee, Jerry Seinfeld, Taylor Swift, and others packed into an NBA Finals pressure cooker.
The night also had a full opening-show feel, with performances linked to Katy Perry, Future, Tyla, Anitta, and Lisa before the USA vs Paraguay spotlight shifted fully to the pitch.
The Knicks still have the stronger hard number. Game 4 against the San Antonio Spurs averaged 20.9 million viewers on ABC, the biggest NBA Finals Game 4 audience since 1998.
That game also delivered history on the court. New York came back from 29 points down to beat San Antonio 107-106, with OG Anunoby tipping in the winner with 1.2 seconds left.
The Knicks now lead the series 3-1 and are one win from their first championship since 1973.
The World Cup opener, though, showed why soccer's moment in the United States feels different. A USMNT game at SoFi can pull movie stars, football royalty, pop-culture names, and citywide traffic pressure all at once.
The Knicks won the television night. SoFi may have won the red carpet spectacle.
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