For Mr. Flower Fantastic, flowers are not just decorative, they are a language. “I want you to feel fantastic,” he said in his BET News interview, explaining that he wanted the piece he was commissioned by Jim Beam to design for the USMNT. 

Mr. Fantastic’s bottom line is that viewers of his floral fixtures should leave his displays feeling better than when they arrived, and that idea is what gave his floral tribute to the USMNT its emotional pull. The larger-than-life display acted as a public way to “give the USMNT their flowers” before the team heads into the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be played across Canada, Mexico, and the United States. 

Mr. Flower Fantastic grew up in New York and Jamaica, and said that time in the garden with his mother shaped the way he sees nature. “Nature always brought me peace,” he said. “Flowers always brought me to a place where I was more present.” That sense of care shows up in the piece, which uses yellow goldenrod — Kentucky’s state flower — to nod to Jim Beam’s home state and its long-running production history there.

That sense of being “more present” also shows up as patience in his process. “It’s important to take your time,” Mr. Fantastic said, adding that growth requires care. “You plant the seed and you have to follow the steps.” For Mr. Fantastic, flowers are more than pretty objects. “A flower is a plant’s highest form of expression,” he said, and that is consistently the guiding force for each and every floral installation he creates.

He said the work is also about emotion and community. “It’s gratifying to be able to build works that also require other hands,” he said, calling the Jim Beam piece “a community piece.” He also emphasized that the project is rooted in recognition. “When someone sees my work… and they inquire about how we can do something, that’s a form of me getting my flowers.”

Even his favorite blooms say something about his point of view. “My favorite flowers are carnations,” he said. “People really complain about carnations, but I promise you… carnations are God’s flower.” He also utilized his favorite bloom in his latest piece. 

The project also fits a bigger cultural moment. Jim Beam’s “Home Field Advantage” campaign brought the installation to Chicago’s Pioneer Court, and soccer legend Tim Howard appeared at the U.S. Soccer Block Party tied to the send-off match. 

Howard, a longtime USMNT voice, helps connect the moment to the next generation of fans who are showing up for the sport with more style and more Black cultural fluency than ever. FIFA says the 2026 tournament will feature a record 104 matches across 16 venues in North America, which makes this summer’s World Cup feel like a full-on cultural stage. 

This type of cultural moment deserves a tribute. And Mr. Fantastic is the right one to deliver, so that fans, players, and anyone who experiences the epic floral arrangement can receive their flowers while they can still smell them. “I hope it brings smiles to people’s faces,” he said. “It’s a reminder that things aren’t so bad.”