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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Sport
Tom Dart

USA v Iran was a referendum on Gregg Berhalter’s leadership. He won

Gregg Berhalter Iran United States Cameron CarterVickers Christian Pulisic Walker Zimmerman World Cup Josh Sargent AFPGetty Images Concacaf
Gregg Berhalter celebrates with Yunus Musah after USA’s victory over Iran
Gregg Berhalter celebrates with Yunus Musah after USA’s victory over Iran. Photograph: Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty Images

Gregg Berhalter knows all about the magnified importance of fine margins in the World Cup. As a US defender he was denied an equalizer in the quarter-finals of the 2002 World Cup when a handball on the line by Germany’s Torsten Frings went unpenalized. The US lost 1-0.

If Iran had shown more composure in the box on Tuesday they might have pinched the point they needed to finish above the US, and instead of looking forward to a round-of-16 tie against the Netherlands on Saturday the American head coach would have faced an uncertain future.

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