There was little question, from the moment the United States and Iran were drawn into the same World Cup group, that their Tuesday match would be politically charged.
The tension was palpable Monday, when on the eve of their must-win game, U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter and captain Tyler Adams were grilled by Iranian media about U.S.-Iran relations and other sensitive topics at the traditional pregame news conference broadcast on FIFA.com.
Adams was scolded for mispronouncing “Iran” and asked whether he feels comfortable representing a country that discriminates “against Black people in its own borders.”
