Tag: Iran National Football Team – English

World Cup 2022: US World Cup victory fuels more Iranian unrest: people across Iran chant ‘America!’ and set off fireworks


Could Christian Pulisic‘s goal in the USMNT’s victory and consequent elimination of Iran (1-0) be eventually remembered as another stepping stone in the Iranian people’s revolution against its current regime?

Even though the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps allegedly threatened the National Team’s players and their families after they didn’t sing along to their national anthem during their first WC game, citizens across different regions of the Persian nation have cheered Iran’s downfall in Qatar 2022.

Videos have surfaced online of the unimagineable: people across various cities in Iran openly celebrating the country’s early 2022 World Cup exit after a loss to the United States.

According to videos shared by expat Iranian journalist Farzad Seifikaran, of Radio Zamaneh, many in Iran are openly celebrating Iran’s fall in Qatar 2022 and yelling pro-American chants.

Pro-USA celebrations in Tehran

An entire apartment complex in the Eram neighborhood of Tehran celebrated the loss of the Iranian team against the United States. As lights flicker and people whistle, a woman can even be heard yelling “America! America!”

Fireworks set off in the city of Sanandaj

Another video shows fireworks being set off in the Kurdish city of Sanandaj, in the western region of Iran. The elation of people in the streets is apparent.

Cars block traffic and vuvuzelas sound in Saqqez

In what is likely the most impressive of all the videos shared, in Saqqez (also in the Kurdistan region), cars block traffic and honk, vuvuzelas are sounded, and hundreds of people openly celebrate in the streets.

The memory of Mahsa Amini lives on in Iran

The death of Mahsa Amini on September 16th of 2022 sparked protests never seen in Iran’s recent history. The young woman who died under suspicious circumstances after for not wearing the hijab in accordance with government standards started a massive social protest across the Asian nation.

Tyler Adams’ mature response after being called out by an Iranian journalist



World Cup 2022: Iran: World Cup players could end up in prison following their loss to the United States


Despite players and coaches best efforts to insist that this was only a soccer match at a World Cup and not another battlefield where ideologies and government collided, the game between the United States and Iran was heavily politicized.

The Iran players reportedly had been threatened before the game with harming their families due to their protests against the regime, by refusing to sing their national anthem during their World Cup debut in Qatar against England.

The threats are torture and imprisonment of their families, something that clearly added pressure on the players, who despite that still gave an incredible performance in the tournament.

Iran players could be imprisoned following loss to United States

Now that Iran has been officially eliminated against the United States in a match in which two of the possible three outcomes gave them the ticket to the Round of 16, reports emerge about the possible consequences awaiting for the squad in their home country, specially after they protested the regime in their first game by not singing the national anthem.

The Iranian players did sing the national anthem ahead of their game against the United States.

Iran’s manager Carlos Queiroz praised his players

The manager for the Iran National Team, the portuguese Carlos Queiroz, praised his players toughness and ability to handle the added pressure that they’ve been under during this World Cup, while their native country goes through troubling political times.



World Cup 2022: Tom Brady and Christian Pulisic: USMNT hero gets to live the life of the GOAT for a day


Christian Pulisic is the man of the hour not only for the USMNT at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, it’s the rare day when soccer is at the top of every front page of every sports media outlet covering sports in the United States and the image of the Chelsea striker and his goal is the most used.

The ‘American Outlaws’ in Buffalo went wild celebrating Christian Pulisic’s heroic goal against Iran@AOBuffalo

What does Christian Pulisic have to learn from Tom Brady?

Perhaps then there are things Pulisic, who scored the only goal as the USMNT defeated Iran 1-0 to punch their ticket to the round of 16 at the World Cup, should learn from Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady.

TB12 remains the most popular and recognized active sports figure in this country, however, these two characters have a closer and more direct relationship as was demonstrated more than a year ago during the celebration of Super Bowl LV.

Tom Brady, on Buccs OT loss to Browns: “We just didn’t make the plays and they did”AP

On that occasion, which occurred on February 7, 2021, Pulisic was still a few months away from being crowned UEFA Champions League champion for the first time, Chelsea defeated Manchester City until May 29 of that year, but that Sunday Brady’s Bucs faced the Kansas City Chiefs at Raymond James Stadium.

Christian Pulisic’s message to Tom Brady

“I’m going to go with Tampa Bay and Tom Brady,” Pulisic told Fox Soccer minutes before kickoff of Super Bowl LV. “Honestly I like Tampa as a team for a few years and I just think Tom Brady is the G.O.A.T – so I just think he’s going to win again.”

The former husband of Brazilian top model Gisele Bndchen ended up winning his seventh Vince Lombardi Trophy that day by defeating the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes by a resounding 31-9 score, while Pulisic and Chelsea defeated Manchester City 1-0 at Estdio do Drago in Porto, Portugal.

Maybe Pulisic’s big goal is what Brady needs to turn his fortunes around after a poor season by his NFL standards, as he currently has a 5-6 record with the Bucs.



World Cup 2022: Blackmail and torture: how Iran’s regime got players to sing national anthem after initial protest


According to a report by CNN, the family members of Iran’s World Cup soccer players have been blackmailed with potential imprisonment and torture if the team fails to “behave” ahead of the game against the USMNT on Tuesday.

Iran squad angered its government with anthem protest

Iran’s protest in its initial game against England, which was subtle but also spoke volumes, consisted of refusing to sing along with the country’s national anthem. A stark contrast with the England side it faced, which belted the words to God Save the Queen at the Khalifa International Stadium.

A security source informed CNN that Iran’s players were called afterwards to a meeting with members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.

According to that source, they were informed that their families would face “violence and and torture” if they did not sing the anthem or joined any protest against the Tehran regime.

The players gave in to the threats when they faced Wales

The threats clearly worked, as all players who lined up in Iran’s victory against Wales the next game sang the nation’s anthem. An event which, barring any surprise, will likely once again occur in the Middle Eastern country’s pivotal match and the United States.

Iran, which is just across the Persian Gulf from Qatar, has had ease in sending government agents into Qatari grounds during the WC. “There are a large number of Iranian security officers in Qatar collecting information and monitoring the players,” the source told CNN.

Iranian fans can’t stop strolling Gareth Bale after their win against Wales

Iranian regime-supporting actors will be in stands against USA

Not only that, but apparently a large contingent of actors had been sent to the world’s largest sporting event to pose as regime-supporting actors against Wales. And there will be even more for the game against the USMNT at the Al Thumama Stadium in Doha.

“In the last game against Wales, the regime sent over hundreds of these actor supporters in order to create a false sense of support and favor amongst the fans. For the next game against the U.S, the regime is planning to significantly increase the number of actors into the thousands”.



World Cup 2022: USMNT: When was the last time they were eliminated in the group stage?


The United States National Team puts its life on the line Tuesday against Iran in its final Group B match at Qatar 2022. With two draws, Gregg Berhalter’s team has two draws, against Wales and England, and now needs a win against an opponent that also has aspirations of advancing, even with a draw.

USMNT returned to the World Cup after being absent from Russia 2018, when they were surprisingly eliminated by Panama. However, there are high expectations within U.S. soccer for this team, made up of a golden generation led by Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie, among several others.

Pulisic shows off his skills in USA training ahead of England match

In fact, it is the generation with the largest number of players participating in European leagues, so expectations are high. In addition, the USMNT has an outstanding debt with their fans, as in their previous participations, in South Africa 2010 and Brazil 2014, they advanced to the second round.

USMNT’s big disappointment at Germany 2006

In 2010, they even finished as Group C leaders over England on goal difference, as well as Slovenia and Algeria. In the second round they faced Ghana and surprisingly lost in extra time 2-1.

Four years later, they were in Group G and finished second, behind Germany, leaving Portugal and Ghana out. In the next round, they met Belgium and were again knocked out in overtime, by the identical score of 2-1.

Families of all 26 USMNT players send a heartfelt ‘good luck’ from homeUSMNT

The last time the USMNT was knocked out of a World Cup in the group stage was in Germany 2006, when they were part of Group E, along with Italy, Ghana and Czech Republic. On that occasion, the USMNT only managed a draw against Italy in their second match, after a surprise 3-0 loss to the Czech Republic and another 2-1 loss to Ghana. With this result, the U.S. team finished in 25th place.

USMNT’s best results in history

Historically, the USMNT’s best result dates back to Uruguay 1930, when the team finished third. As part of Group 4, they defeated Belgium 3-0 and Paraguay 2-0. With these results they advanced to the semifinals where they faced Argentina and were thrashed 6-1. However, in the final balance, statistically they got the third place in the competition.

They then had a consecutive absence between Switzerland 1954 and Mexico 1986 and, from USA 1994 onwards, they had uninterrupted participation until Russia. During this period, they achieved their second best performance in history, in Korea-Japan 2002:

The USMNT’s great story at the 2002 World Cup

On that occasion, the team coached by Bruce Arena was drawn in Group D, along with Korea, Portugal and Poland. They surprisingly defeated Portugal 3-2, then drew 1-1 with Korea and finally lost 3-1 to Poland to advance as runners-up behind the tournament hosts.

In the second round, they knocked out Mexico, the tournament favorites, by a score of 2-0. The USMNT achieved what El Tri has yet to achieve, playing in a quarterfinal match in a World Cup not organized by them.

The dream, on that occasion, ended in the quarterfinals against Germany, by a score of 1-0 with a goal by Michael Ballack.

Now we will see if the U.S. team manages to get past the group stage, as there is a real risk that the four CONCACAF representatives will be left out in the initial round, something that has not happened since Spain 1982.



World Cup 2022: USMNT vs. Iran, a politically charged duel, just like France 98


The group stage of the Qatar 2022 World Cup in Group B closes with a politically tense match between the USMNT and Iran, two nations that do not have good diplomatic relations.

History between USMNT and Iran goes back to France 98

Families of all 26 USMNT players send a heartfelt ‘good luck’ from homeUSMNT

The United States faced Iran for the first time in a World Cup in France 1998, and both nations were already politically charged over nuclear weapons, and now they are facing each other again and the Americans need a win, as do the Iranians, to qualify for the Round of 16.

The tension began when US Soccer made the decision to hide the emblem of the Islamic Republic of Iran in an image of their group qualification on social networks, which was not taken very well by their rivals. The gesture was a way of protesting against the human rights crisis in Iran.

The moment of tension moved to the press room prior to the clash between the two countries, as an Iranian journalist questioned the USMNT press officer for not giving the floor to the Iranian reporters, as they were in a World Cup and not in an MLS match.

Believe! Letters from Ted Lasso appear in home towns of USMNT starsAP

USMNT players Tim Ream and Walker Zimmerman responded, without delving into the political issue, to the reporter’s question, who asked how old they were when their team met Iran for the first time in World Cups in 1998.

Match between the United States and Iran in the distant 1998

At the 1998 World Cup in France, the two countries met for the first time in a World Cup after decades of political conflicts such as the Islamic Revolution and the hostage crisis at the U.S. embassy in Iran which broke diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The winning team in Qatar qualifies for the round of 16, while the losing team can say goodbye. A draw ensures the Asian team’s ticket to the elimination game, so next Tuesday’s match is of great importance for both the United States and Iran.



World Cup 2022: USMNT: Why draw vs. Wales could be the beginning of the end in Qatar 2022?


The USMNT and Wales played to a 1-1 draw that leaves the future of both teams in Qatar 2022 uncertain for their other two World Cup group games, however, all indications are that the easiest path to that goal is in favor of Gareth Bale and company, essentially due to the order of each team’s next two games.

Families of all 26 USMNT players send a heartfelt ‘good luck’ from homeUSMNT

In the next matchday of Group B of Qatar 2022, the United States will have what is expected to be their toughest challenge as they will have to face England, while Wales will have the obligation to beat Iran, which, based on what was seen on Monday, seems to be the weakest team in the section.

What’s next for the USMNT and Wales?

It is worth remembering that England defeated Iran 6-2 and that if they beat Team USA they will mathematically assure their pass to the round of 16, so they will surely go out with their luxury team to try to beat a team that, incredibly, they have not been able to beat twice in World Cups.

Psychic camel predicts England will beat Iran in their first World Cup match

That is why, if the logical results of the aforementioned games to be held on Friday are given, England would defeat the United States, Wales would beat Iran and then the situation for the final games would be a terrible scenario for Gregg Berhalter and company.

Wales have everything to reach the Round of 16

In the last series of matches, to be held on Tuesday, Wales would face England, who could keep some of their best players because they are already qualified and if they get a draw, even if the United States wins by many goals against Iran, they would be eliminated.

That is why not losing against England becomes vital for the United States, the mission seems very difficult, a draw against Wales could end up being fatal for the team coached by Gregg Berhalter.