06/12/26 06:25:00
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06/12 18:23 CDT Ryan Reynolds and Mike Myers among the stars at Canada's first
home World Cup match
Ryan Reynolds and Mike Myers among the stars at Canada's first home World Cup
match
TORONTO (AP) --- Cyle Larin's goal not only saved the World Cup opener for
Canada on Friday, it gave a bunch of Canadian celebrities a reason to stomp and
shout.
"Deadpool" star and Wrexham co-owner Ryan Reynolds, NHL standout Connor McDavid
and actor Mike Myers were among the Canadian stars spotted among the announced
43,002 fans at BMO Field for the first men's World Cup match on Canadian soil.
Myers sported a Canada jersey and a red bucket hat. Yeah, baby.
"Mike Myers was here? Oh sweet," Canada coach Jesse Marsch said. "I saw (music
producer) Boi-1da on the TV at one point. I know that there's a lot of
different people that are enjoying the World Cup in Canada, but my job, I'm
focused, so lasered in on just making sure that we can give the country a team
to be proud of."
Larin's late equalizer gave Canada a 1-1 draw with Bosnia, salvaging a day of
national pride and joy as Canada earned a point in the World Cup for the first
time. Reynolds clapped and shouted along with the rest of the crowd when Larin
scored. The stadium was mostly full, with a few open spots in the lower bowl
and way up in new, temporary seating.
Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette also was on hand and
closed an upbeat opening ceremony with a compelling rendition of "O Canada,"
the national anthem.
Canada hosted the Women's World Cup in 2015, along with the Winter Olympics ---
twice --- and the 1976 Summer Games in Montreal. But this is the first time the
men's World Cup has come to Canada, with 13 matches between Toronto and
Vancouver.
Canadian players couldn't see the celebrities but were happy with the
atmosphere.
"You know, it wasn't just ?We're showing up there for a picnic and a good
afternoon,'" defender Alistair Johnston said. "They were fully invested."
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AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
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