- The US-Iran World Cup match has enormous soccer stakes.
- The match is also surrounded by political tension, as captain Tyler Adams learned during a bizarre press conference on Monday.
On Monday, United States Men's National Team captain Tyler Adams and coach Gregg Berhalter were thrust into the middle of a situation far bigger than either of them and handled it with dignity.
During a press conference, Adams was corrected by an Iranian journalist for his pronunciation of "Iran." Adams was then asked a pointed question about representing the US, despite the nation's struggles with discrimination toward Black people.
Adams handled the moment with class, first apologizing for mispronouncing "Iran," then making a point about assimilation and learning opportunities, referencing the journalist's correction moments before.
Nonetheless, the moment highlighted the tense, international drama surrounding the US-Iran group match on Tuesday. It has been described as one the biggest matches in US men's soccer history, with a chance to move onto the knockout stage — a rebound after failing to make the 2018 World Cup altogether.
But on Monday, Adams and Berhalter fielded few questions about soccer. Instead, they were asked about (to name just a few): a US war ship off Iran, inflation, and immigrant rights in the US.
Adams and Berhalter largely deflected, saying they were trying to concentrate on the match ahead.
Still, whether the players and managers are complicit or not, bigger stakes have been attached to this match. Tense geopolitical relations hang over the affair.
Over the weekend, Iran state media called on FIFA to kick the US out of the World Cup after the US Soccer Federation doctored the Iran flag in a social media post.
In a tweet showing the Group B standings at the World Cup, the USSF included a photo of the Iran flag without the Islamic Republic emblem. Soccer media officer Michael Kammarman told reporters that the decision was a gesture of support for anti-government protesters "fighting for basic human rights."
There has been civil unrest in Iran due to the protests over a 22-year-old woman who died after falling into a coma while in the custody of the country's morality police.
Meanwhile, Russia has been bombing Ukraine with the help of Iranian-made drones, and Iran is believed to be developing its own nuclear program.
CNN reported on Monday that the families of Iran's players have been threatened with torture and imprisonment if they don't "behave" ahead of the match.
Iran and the US met under similar circumstances in 1998
Iran and the US haven't played each other at the World Cup since 1998.
That match was also rife with political tension. Diplomatic relations between the two nations were still cut off from the hostage crisis — in which 52 American diplomats and citizens were held hostage at a US embassy in Tehran — that ended in 1981. The State Department had labeled Iran the "most active" sponsor of terrorism a month before the match.
US defender Alexi Lalas, in comments that echo today's players, downplayed the international stakes in the match.
"I hope they're playing for the history and all that sort of stuff because that just adds to the pressure on them," Lalas said. "We're mature enough and experienced enough to know this has nothing to do with government or politics."
The Washington Post reported at the time that there were national political demonstrations in the stands among Iranian fans.
Though the US lost a stunning 2-1 match to fall out of the tournament, things were friendly between the players participating in the match. The two sides posed for a photo before the match and exchanged gifts.
US defender Jeff Agoos said afterward that players "did more in 90 minutes than the politicians did in 20 years."
Though the rosters have changed in the years since, larger stakes have once again been attached.