For Mvstermind, being a musician and an athlete have more similarities than meets the eye.
"You go through a lot of the same pressure," the St. Louis hip-hop artist said. "You go through a lot of different types of training, you got to be in different types of competition, [there's] people who doubt you. Like, it's just a lot of show-and-proof when it comes to athletes and musicians."
That grit, paired with his experience as the former director of musical experience for St. Louis City SC, inspired his approach to writing the title track for the HBO documentary series "U.S. Against the World: Four Years with the Men's National Soccer Team."
In addition to writing the title song "U.S. Against the World Anthem," which was produced by Hannah Parrott, Mvstermind wrote and produced four other tracks in the docuseries. He said it was an exercise in creating music that reflects his artistry while also producing art that speaks for the athletes in the documentary.
"I focused on crafting and creating a world for it. There's even like custom ad-libs that you'll kind of hear popping out throughout the show, and things of that nature," he said. "But it was a really, really fun experience of putting myself within the world of these athletes, because at the end of the day, I ended up really feeling just like them."
He noted that he also sees similarities between the "underdog" narrative about the U.S. Men's National Team and his hometown.
"When you look at a place like St. Louis, a place [that] has the talent but oftentimes gets overlooked … the only thing left to do is just to show-and-prove," he said. "That's what's going on with the U.S. Men's National Team right now."
Mvstermind will perform "U.S. Against the World Anthem," and others on June 19 at the U.S. Soccer House in Los Angeles ahead of the U.S. match against Australia.
That is just one way St. Louis' presence shows up in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Here are other ways St. Louis is making its mark:
A St. Louis-area native is captain of the U.S. team
St. Louis native and St. Louis University alumnus Tim Ream is captaining the U.S. men's side and anchoring the team's defense at center back. This will be the 38-year-old's second World Cup, after starting all four games for the U.S. in 2022 in Qatar.
"I have no doubt in my mind that we can win in a knockout stage game. I have no doubt that we can win multiple games in the knockout stages," Ream said in an interview with NPR's Juana Summers.
Ream attended St. Dominic High School in O'Fallon, Missouri.
St. Louis served as a training and preparation site for the Bosnia and Herzegovina team
The Bosnia and Herzegovina team made a stop in St. Louis ahead of the World Cup for a six-day training camp.
Their stay included an international friendly on Saturday against the World Cup-qualified Panama team at Energizer Park. The match, which turned out thousands of St. Louis Bosnians, ended in a 1-1 tie.
Fans from the St. Louis area will be traveling across the U.S., Canada and Mexico to watch the games
While FIFA didn't bring the World Cup to St. Louis, fans across the region are traveling far beyond the closest host city, Kansas City.
Residents responded to STLPR's callout asking where people were going to watch the matches and how much they spent on their trips. Some of the destinations for local fans include Toronto, Mexico City, Atlanta, Houston, Seattle, Los Angeles and East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Michelob Ultra is this World Cup's official beer sponsor
St. Louis' beer tradition is also making its presence on the international stage. Anheuser-Busch InBev's Michelob Ultra, which is brewed in St. Louis, will be everywhere at the 2026 World Cup as the tournament's official beer sponsor, including being sold during matches at FIFA-designated stadiums and prominently advertised on broadcasts.
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