FILE PHOTO: Cast member Brendan Hunt attends the premiere for season two of the television series "Ted Lasso" at Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, California, U.S. July 15, 2021. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -The creators and stars of award-winning comedy series "Ted Lasso" were among those expressing hope that the World Cup would bring people together at an event in Los Angeles on Wednesday marking the one-year countdown to the tournament.
Los Angeles will be one of the main host cities for the soccer showpiece in North America, welcoming eight matches including the United States' first match and a quarter-final.
Brendan Hunt, a co-creator and actor in the Apple TV+ show about an upstart British football team with a U.S. coach, said Americans should embrace the influx of visitors from around the world.
"What America needs to get ready for with this World Cup is something that most Americans instinctively know, but just to make sure for those who don't - there will be many people here who were not born here," Hunt said during an on-stage interview.
"And just because they weren't born here, you don't need to be afraid of them."
"Platform used," said fellow co-creator Jason Sudeikis, who plays Lasso on the show.
Hunt said the tournament would be incredible.
"You have to prepare yourself to surrender to a vibe you've never quite seen before because when folks come to these cities to see their teams play, they will take over in a way that is absolutely as benevolent as it is overwhelming," he added.
The countdown to the tournament, which the U.S. is co-hosting with Mexico and Canada, comes on the heels of U.S. President Donald Trump's directive banning citizens from 12 countries from entering the U.S., though athletes are exempt.
The Trump administration has also said it will deploy 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles to help protect federal property and personnel during the ongoing protests in the city.
The protests broke out in response to a series of immigration raids in a city with a large immigrant population.
Cobi Jones, who played for the U.S. in three World Cups, said he hoped the event would be a unifying one.
"This is the game we all love and I'm hoping it can bring people together," he told Reuters on the red carpet of the event at Fox Studio Lot in Los Angeles.
"When we're talking about the travel bans, I'm hoping that FIFA can work together with our government to find a way that everyone can be here and everyone can enjoy this sport because it's a cultural event that's happening here in a year."
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said last month after meeting with U.S. President Trump he was confident visitors would be welcomed for the World Cup as well as the Club World Cup, which runs from June 14 to July 13 and also has matches in Los Angeles.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
