The United States Men’s National Team is battling Iran in the World Cup right now with a trip to the knockout stage on the line. So yeah, it’s a huge game and the path is an easy one for the U.S. – win and advance. Lose and go home.
Well, Christian Pulisic is not ready to go home and the star player of the USMNT is apparently willing to risk it all to make sure that doesn’t happen. The 24-year-old forward scored the opening goal of the game and he did so in painful fashion as he slammed into Iran’s goalkeeper as the ball went in the net.
Tuesday’s World Cup meeting between the USA and Iran is a high stakes game for both teams, as only the winner can advance from group-stage play to the knockout round.
Odds have favored the U.S. to come out on top from the beginning, and they’re even shorter now at -107. But Iran already has one upset under its belt, defeating Wales in its last match to create the win-or-go-home stakes of this game.
Though Iran has outscored USA 4-1 this tournament, three of those goals came in stoppage time, including two in their stunning win over Wales. The other two goals were footnotes in a 6-2 blowout at the hands of England.
Those six goals allowed came on seven shots on goal, a remarkably high percentage. The U.S., though, held England scoreless with just three shots on goal and nearly did the same to Wales before a late penalty on Gareth Bale. That defense is why I’m picking the Americans to prevail.
The offense is due for better luck after blowing some good opportunities against England. But I’m expecting Iran to have a harder time finding the back of the net.
Questions about soccer were rare. Airing of grievances was the order of the day
AL-RAYYAN, Qatar â In hindsight, the tenor of things was revealed from the moment Carlos Queiroz and Karim Ansarifard received a hearty round of applause as they strode into the wood-paneled auditorium deep inside the Qatari National Convention Centre.
That was just the start of an antagonistic and deeply surreal press conference.
The room that hosted both teams’ pregame availability one day ahead of the enormous â Ansarifard politely called it âa very sensitive gameâ â United States vs. Iran World Cup match was almost full, with representatives of US, Iranian and overseas journalists alike. Only one of those groups was clapping for Team Melli’s manager and striker, though.
An urbane, charismatic presence, Quieroz has led the Iranian side for most of the past decade. And his back-and-forth with Iran’s press pack â most of it hailing from state-affiliated outlets â flashed the cleverness by which he has endeared himself to so many across the nation without antagonizing the complex network of political factors that affect so much of high-level sports in the Islamic Republic.
While he did not utter the words “stick to sports,” that message was crystal clear.
âIf after 42 years in this game as a coach, I still believe that I could win games with those mental games, I think I did not learn anything about the game. And this is not the case,â said Queiroz when asked about allegations of gamesmanship and skulduggery by the U.S. and Jurgen Klinsmann ahead of this fixture. âThose collective set of events that are surrounding this World Cup, I hope it will be a good lesson for all of us in the future. And that in the next event, we’ll be learning that our mission here is to create entertainment. And at least during 90 minutes, make the people happy.
That was likely music to the ears of both Iranian and Qatari government officials infuriated by media coverage of the ongoing human-rights protests that have roiled the streets of Iran for months, with hundreds reportedly killed and thousands arrested in state reprisals. Or the host nation’s questionable track record with migrant labor, laws criminalizing homosexuality and widespread reports of corruption around the awarding of this tournament.
It certainly drew another loud ovation from the Iranian press, who clapped a third time when Queiroz and Ansarifard left the room, with a FIFA official not offering any of the women journalists in the room a chance to pose a question.
(AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
The reception given to USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter and captain Tyler Adams a little under an hour later was drastically different.
âTomorrow, perhaps it’s going to be the most sensitive game of this Cup,â an Iranian journalist stated in the second question of the United States’ presser. âIf we made a survey of the whole world, what percentage of the population of the world will be happy because of the win of the national team of Iran, and what percentage of the whole population of the world will be happy because of the United States soccer team wins?
âI know that a lot of other constituents have another feeling towards it. But for us, it’s a soccer game against a good team. And it’s not much more than that,â said Berhalter. âIt’s a knockout game, both teams want to go to the next round, both teams are desperate to go to the next round. And that’s how we’re looking at this match. We’re very focused on what we could do as a team, as are they. And we think it’s going to be a good soccer game.â
The questions posed by Iranians grew more and more strident. After Adams offered a seemingly earnest declaration of support for âIran’s people and Iran’s team,â but added that his team is âlaser focusedâ on securing the victory that will see them through to the knockout stages, another journalist called out his mispronunciation of the country’s name (Adams said I-ran rather than eee-ron).
Then he asked the USMNT captain if he was âOK to be representing a country that has so much discrimination against Black people in its own borders?â and where âthere’s so much discrimination happening against Black people in America.â
Adams was measured in his response.
âMy apologies on the mispronunciation of your country,â said the 23-year-old midfielder. âThat being said, there’s discrimination everywhere you go. One thing that I’ve learned, especially from living abroad in the past years, and having to fit in in different cultures and kind of assimilate into different cultures, is that in the U.S., we’re continuing to make progress every single day. Growing up for me, I grew up in a white family with obviously an African-American heritage and background as well.
âSo I had a little bit of different cultures, and I was very easily able to assimilate in different cultures. So not everyone has that ease and the ability to do that. And obviously, it takes longer to understand and through education, I think it’s super important. Like you just educated me now on the pronunciation of your country. So yeah, it’s a process, I think. As long as you see progress, that’s the most important thing.â
đïž La rueda de prensa mĂĄs incĂłmoda de lo que llevamos de Mundial.
đ„ Tyler Adams contestĂł una de las preguntas a un periodista iranĂ sobre el racismo en Estados Unidos.
The queries from Iranian reporters ran the gamut of their nation’s frustrations with the United States government and its foreign policy.
“Why is it that you do not ask your government to take away its military fleet from the Persian Gulf?”
âIt seems the U.S. media have also started the mind games and attack like England and U.K. [media], we have never seen in sports that something like this has happened.â
âI’ve been in New York about two months ago, and there was no support to your team [due to] the high rise of inflation and economic problems. Do you think the American people support your team and you?â
âHow is your reaction when I tell you U.S. passport [holders], they can be welcome to Iran anytime, and they can visit anywhere in Iran. But the same time Iranian passport, they can’t enter USA or United States lands, otherwise they have to make some problems?â
âJurgen Klinsmann and his offense to head coach of Iran, Mr. Queiroz, he was starting psychological warfare to Iran or not?â
On and on went the fusillade of grievance, with Iranian journalists making clear that their members see great unfairness being inflicted on their team and its nation, leaving Adams and Berhalter nonplussed.
âI don’t know enough about politics. I’m a soccer coach,â Berhalter said at one point. âAnd I’m not well-versed on international politics.â
It was a surreal moment, and underlined â if the USMNT could possibly have any remaining doubt â just how many layers of meaning and controversy have been layered atop this zero-sum match.
âSports is a huge opportunity to bring people together,â Adams said. âWe continue to show our support and our empathy for what’s obviously happening to the Iranian team and the people. That being said, we do have a game to focus on.â
The architect of Project 2010 is now trying to end project 2022
AL-RAYYAN, Qatar â A savvy, charismatic, multi-national polyglot with a fascination for the particularities of the American spirit: One could make the case that Carlos Queiroz was American soccerâs Jurgen Klinsmann before Jurgen Klinsmann was.
While Klinsmann has been a constant presence in the nationâs footballing consciousness for more than a decade thanks to his television commentary work and time in charge of the U.S. menâs national team that followed, the Portuguese manager was a quietly influential figure on the domestic scene before the turn of the century.
Though he would become a globetrotting coach with an array of high-powered destinations on his resume, Queiroz maintained U.S. ties through a network of colleagues and relationships that stretches from New York to Chicago to Manchester to Tehran and, eventually, to Doha today.
Here he leads Iran into a massive World Cup match with the USMNT on Tuesday, with Group Bâs results pitting the longtime geopolitical antagonists in a zero-sum situation for advancement to the tournamentâs knockout stages. The Yanks need a win at Al Thumama Stadium to reach the round of 16, while a draw would be enough to see Team Melli through.
In several ways, Queirozâs ideas served as a sort of Rosetta Stone for the dramatic evolution of the player development pathway that produced so many members of the current USMNT squad. He arrived stateside in the spring of 1996 to take over the coaching duties of the New York/New Jersey MetroStars during Major League Soccerâs inaugural season.
âI realized immediately the great potential of United States soccer,â Queiroz told Soccer America in 2018. âWhat I found was the beginning of a huge project to create and help develop soccer in the United States.â
Not long after, the U.S. Soccer Federation launched Project 2010, an ambitious big-picture plan to orient multiple levels of the sport towards the pursuit of excellence in time to compete for the trophy at that yearâs World Cup.
Federation leaders, mindful of his past role in cultivating Portugalâs âgolden generation,â tabbed Queiroz and his friend and colleague Dan Gaspar to provide âan independent look at the landscape here with a third-party point of view,â as Sunil Gulati would later put it.
Its general outline was released just before France 1998, where the USMNTâs woebegone last-place performance delivered a painful reality check.
The 113-page âQ reportâ wasnât exactly implemented in full. Yet its concepts helped lay the groundwork for innovations like the U.S. Soccer Development Academy youth league, upgraded coaching education structures and a national talent scouting network.
In fact, the federation was impressed enough that tentative plans were mooted for Queiroz to take over the USMNT after Steve Sampsonâs departure, although that never came to pass. He would go on to manage Real Madrid, work alongside Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United and lead a diverse list of national teams from Portugal to South Africa.
Nowhere did he build a legacy quite like with Iran. Heâs led Team Melli at three consecutive World Cups across two stints in charge, and is now just one positive result away from steering them into the knockout stages for the first time ever.
(Photo by MIGUEL MEDINA / AFP)
A hard-charging personality who’s said to thrive on four hours of sleep a night, Queiroz has earned the loyalty of fans and players while managing to walk the tightrope required in the treacherous, politicized environment of Iranian sports, a domain government officials often involve themselves in.
Heâs also drawn headlines for his outspoken defenses of his players, who are under a microscope in Qatar, just across the Persian Gulf from Iran. Huge numbers of supporters on both sides of the political divide are flocking to their matches while the human-rights protests and deadly government reprisals that have roiled their homeland since September loom large.
Making sure to note Klinsmannâs perceived âGerman/Americanâ allegiances, Queiroz called his remarks âprejudiced,â âoutrageousâ and âa disgrace to footballâ before calling on him to resign from his position on FIFAâs Technical Study Group.
Klinsmann responded that his words were âtaken completely wrongâ and âtaken out of context,â suggesting that his past role in charge of the USMNT had led Iranians to see him as a provocateur and pledging to get in touch with Queiroz and âcalm things down.â The subsequent controversy over U.S. Soccerâs use of an altered Iran flag with the symbols of its hardline Islamic government removed has only roiled the waters further.
âIt is unique. It is something different,â said U.S. defender Tim Ream on Sunday in a tense press conference attended by media from both nations. âBut at the same time, we’re all human, we understand that there are things going on that are out of our control. And so that’s where we find ourselves. Again, we understand and empathize with the Iranian people. And at the end of the day, we are still having to focus on what is our job.â
It all shapes Tuesday into a metaphorical powder keg, as well as an on-field scenario that favors Queiroz, known for his organized, defensively resilient tactics. If the Yanks are unable to dig out the victory they require to reach the round of 16, theyâll have been undone by an adversary who knows them and their soccer culture just about as well as any opposing manager could.
Iran officials reacted angrily to the gesture from U.S. Soccer
AL-RAYYAN, Qatar â An already-contentious occasion with massive stakes got even spicier for the U.S. menâs national team on Sunday, as a social-media squabble turned up the heat on Tuesdayâs must-win World Cup match versus Iran.
Fierce, women-led street protests have rumbled on in Iranian streets for weeks, with the nationâs hardline Islamic government responding with violent crackdowns that have reportedly killed hundreds and led to thousands of arrests. Amid that backdrop, U.S. Soccer officials decided to show support for Iranâs human-rights activists by using an Iranian flag without the Emblem of Iran on the USMNTâs Twitter header and some social-media posts.
The emblem was added to the flagâs center after the Iranian Revolution of 1979; it is a stylized depiction of the word Allah that represents the phrase âThere is no god but Godâ and has become associated with the countryâs fundamentalist religious leadership.
âThe intent of the post was to show support for women’s rights, it was meant to be a moment,â said USMNT press officer Michael Kammarman at a Sunday media availability at the teamâs Al-Gharafa training base. âWe made the posts at the time, all the other representations of the flag remain consistent, and will continue to.â
The flag on the USMNTâs Twitter header was soon adjusted to reflect the official Iranian flag and the social-media posts have been taken down amid rapid blowback. Iranian officials and state-associated media have reacted with anger, accusing USSF of removing God from their flag and attempting to disrupt their national team before a crucial game for both sides.
âWe know that this game isn’t isn’t played in a bubble,â said U.S. defender Tim Ream. âThere are a lot of things that happen around the world and people want our opinions, but our opinion is that we want to play the game. And the game is for everyone. And that’s what we’re focused on.â
U.S. Soccer officials had consulted with Iranian experts on the gesture of support, but did not inform USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter or his players before posting the images of the altered flag.
âWe’re huge supporters of women’s rights,â said USMNT defender Walker Zimmerman. âWe didn’t know anything about the post, but we are supporters of women’s rights. We always have been. We’re focused a lot on Tuesday from the sporting side as well, so you [a reporter] mentioned it’s a distraction. I think this is such a focused group on the task at hand. But at the same time we empathize, and we are firm believers in women’s rights and support them.â
The USMNT are on two points and must win Tuesdayâs match at Al Thumama Stadium to advance to the World Cupâs knockout phase, while Iran enter with three points and need only a draw to advance. The game is a redux of the nationsâ meeting at the 1998 World Cup in France, where Iran won 2-1 amid similar political tensions owing to their tangled history over the decades.
The U.S. needs to beat Iran on Tuesday to advance.
The mission is simple for the U.S. in its next and final match of the 2022 World Cup group stage on Tuesday, beat Iran and you move on to the knockout round.
Thanks to Iran’s stunning win over Wales on Friday morning, the USMNT’s match against England later in the day was mostly meaningless in terms of how it impacted group standings — especially after it ended in a tie.
So, as they still trail Iran by a point in the group standings, the U.S. needs a win to avoid elimination. Early odds at BetMGM favor the Americans to get it done at +110.
Odds that Iran wins are +270 and odds on a draw or +245. Either result would send the USMNT home earlier than expected.
Even as they trail in the standings, their -135 odds to qualify for the knockout round are still slightly better than Iran’s -110.
But those opening results counted for little on Friday, as a resurgent Iran stunned Wales with goals in the 98th and 101th minutes to win 2-0 and throw Group B into chaos in the process.
Iran was on the front foot for most of the game, looking nothing like the side that capitulated against the Three Lions a few days earlier.
Wales goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey was shown a red card in the 86th minute after coming far off his line and clattering into Mehdi Taremi, setting the stage for late drama.
After Joe Allen failed to clear, Roozbeh Cheshmi slammed home a sensational winner from the top of the box, which was followed minutes later by Ramin Rezaeian adding an insurance goal on the break.
The results mean England can effectively qualify for the knockout round with a draw against the U.S. later on Friday, while they can essentially win the group with a victory.
For the U.S., a draw or loss against England is now essentially the same result. Absent a win against the Three Lions, Gregg Berhalter’s men will likely have the ability to qualify from Group B with a win over Iran on Tuesday.
And Iran is in great shape, looking likely to qualify with just a draw against the U.S.
As Iran coach Carlos Quieroz said after the game: “This is just the beginning, but we need to finish the job.”
Watch Iran stun Wales at the World Cup
WHAT AN ENDING. Iran scores two goals in stoppage time to get the victory over Wales đźđ·
The Three Lions destroyed Iran 6-2 in their World Cup opener
England made a major statement in its World Cup opener, hammering Iran 6-2 to lay down a marker in Group B.
The Three Lions were always favored to finish atop a group that also includes the U.S. and Wales, but the emphatic nature of their win on Monday underlined their status as the class of their World Cup group.
It was England’s young stars who shined the brightest at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, with 19-year-old Jude Bellingham opening the scoring with a header before 21-year-old Bukayo Saka scored a brace in his first World Cup game.
After reaching the semifinal of the 2018 World Cup and the final of Euro 2020, England entered the 2022 World Cup as one of the favorites and its performance against an overwhelmed Iranian side did nothing to dispel that notion.
2 – With goals from Jude Bellingham (19y) and Bukayo Saka (21y), England have had two players aged 21 or under both score in a single World Cup game for the first time in their history. Fearless.
Raheem Sterling, Jack Grealish and Marcus Rashford would also get on the scoresheet in a comprehensive win.
The only downside for England came in the second half, when defender Harry Maguire was forced off with a suspected head injury.
But the four-goal margin of victory set England on course to finish atop Group B, with goal differential as the first tiebreaker. Next up for the Three Lions is a showdown with the USMNT on Friday, which will be followed by a match against Wales on November 29.
Watch Bellingham and Saka’s goals vs. Iran
ENGLAND TAKES THE LEAD
On the biggest stage Jude Bellingham scores his first goal for England đ„đŽó §ó ąó „ó źó §ó ż pic.twitter.com/4TOWEHaMmQ
The expression was seen as a sign of solidarity with protesters back home
Iran’s players refused to sing their country’s national anthem ahead of their World Cup opener against England, seemingly in solidarity with anti-government protests back home.
Protests in Iran continue after the September death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old who had been detained by the countryâs morality police for failing to properly wear a hijab.
Reports have stated that hundreds of Iranians have been killed as the government has cracked down on demonstrations that have now been ongoing for two months.
Speaking ahead of Monday’s game, Iran defender Ehsan Hajsafi expressed his solidarity with the protesters.
“They should know that we are with them. And we support them. And we sympathize with them regarding the conditions,” Hajsafi told a news conference.
“We have to accept the conditions in our country are not right and our people are not happy,” he added. “We are here, but it does not mean we should not be their voice or we should not respect them.”
On the FS1 broadcast, Ian Darke also reported that many Iran fans booed the anthem.
Watch Iran’s national anthem before England game
The Iran National Anthem plays for the first time at the 2022 FIFA World Cup đźđ· pic.twitter.com/R5HAsuw5FQ
The forward faces a race against time to be fit for the tournament in Qatar
Iran forward Sardar Azmoun could be set to miss the World Cup with a torn calf muscle.
Bayer Leverkusen announced this week that Azmoun would be out between six and eight weeks after he suffered the injury during warm-ups ahead of Leverkusen’s Champions League match against Porto on Tuesday.
Iran faces England on November 21 to kick off its World Cup campaign, seven weeks after Azmoun suffered the injury. Following the England match, Iran will face Wales on November 25 and the U.S. on November 29.
The striker’s fitness will be vital to Iran’s World Cup hopes. The 27-year-old is one of his country’s biggest attacking threats, scoring 41 goals from his 65 international appearances.
Azmoun joined Leverkusen in January from Russian club Zenit St. Petersburg. He has scored one goal in 17 Bundesliga appearances so far.
