Oral history of USA-Iran, 1998 World Cup: interviews, photos

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10:53 AM ET

The 1998 World Cup group stage match between the United States and Iran is one of the most ignominious losses in the history of the US men's national team.

The game was politically charged. The match took place 18 years after 52 Americans were taken hostage by supporters of the Iranian revolution and held for 444 days before being released.

The game was supposed to be a victory for the US. The Americans were 11th in the world rankings and Iran were 42nd, but the match was seen as crucial to the Americans' hopes of progressing to the knockout rounds.

The US lost the match and their World Cup effort fell apart. The US was eliminated from the tournament after the loss and players went to the press to complain about their manager.

Tab Ramos said the World Cup was a mess. I wouldn't blame the people if I had to.

The Americans displayed an ugly display on and off the field. The match was viewed as the nadir of the program until the US missed out on the World Cup. Everyone else was left to ponder how the US could have performed so poorly and how they contributed to the debacle when the manager resigned after three defeats and a last-place finish.

With the US and Iran set to face off at the World Cup in their final group stage match Tuesday, the US will be keen to avoid a repeat of the disaster from 24 years ago. After US Soccer scrubbed Iran's emblem from their flag on social media in an effort to support protestors, and after Iran's coach Carlos Queiroz publicly chastised former US coach Juergen Klins, there are growing tensions ahead of Tuesday's game.

The story of the 1998 USA-Iran game is told in the words of people who experienced it. At the time, individuals are identified by their positions or roles. The quotes have been edited to make them clearer.

The United States was drawn into a difficult group with Germany and Yugoslavia, but those match-ups were overshadowed by the inclusion of Iran, which hadn't qualified for the World Cup in over 30 years.

The scene for what was to come was set by an Associated Press reporter at the draw. Spectators will jeer 'The Great Satan'. The World Cup can do what politicians and diplomats can't, according to the US Soccer Federation president. John Harkes is the US captain. I don't think the president is going to that game.

The first team we pick is Germany. Two world wars with them, and they are really, really good. There is a second team. It's wonderful. Yugoslavia is being played. As we speak, we are bombing them. Iran is third Excellent. This is going to be a really tough Cup.

The Iran regime hated America. That was the reason that the game was so important. The political piece was equally as important as the football one.

Preki was born in Serbia and watched the draw there. It was Serbia and Montenegro. I thought the draw of Iran was a good one for us because we could advance. They're a very talented team and aggressive. It is going to be a difficult game for us. For most of the time we knew what to expect.

Tab Ramos can't say that he was an expert on the situation, but he thinks sports are above all this. The fact that we had Germany and Yugoslavia in our group made me more excited.

The United States appeared to be a team on the rise before the tournament. The United States made it to the knockout stages of the World Cup in 1994, but there was a fourth-place finish in 1995 that included a victory over Argentina.

The New York Times reported that he dropped Harkes from the squad for technical and leadership reasons. When Eric Wynalda revealed that Harkes had had an affair with his wife, the real reason for his dismissal was made public. Wynalda described the events.

The discontent was caused by the fact that John Harkes could have helped us during the World Cup. It was not possible to keep him on the team because of his off-field behavior.

Eric Wynalda said to keep him. "Steve, you need to be able to handle this if I can," I said. He said that he was taking the one to his grave. He was all strange on me.

They would be surprised if someone said that a veteran wasn't going to make the World Cup team. I did not think of Harkes. I thought about the person I was thinking about. We were surprised to hear it was Harkes. The leader of the team was taken away by him.

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If I could do it again, I would include the leadership group. Now, I tell myself that. They would have come up with the same decision that I would have made. People wouldn't have agreed. Alexi Lalas has said that it shouldn't have made a difference.

The ruthlessness, if you will, of athletes in that, I just want to win, that's what Alexi said. I would like to be around people that helped me. I don't have to dislike them. I'm a good soccer player, so I don't have to respect them.

I knew I couldn't be completely transparent with the players until it came out in 2010. Some players didn't understand the decision.

David Regis, a Martinique-born defender who obtained his US citizenship just months before the tournament, replaced Jeff Agoos in the starting lineup.

The US team chose a chateau in the French countryside as its base camp for the World Cup. The team was not able to fight off the boredom and it made them feel uneasy.

In '94, keep in mind that we had a coach, who was known as "Borai". He said that you have to feel and smell the environment, and really embrace and use it. He proceeded to do that. He wanted you to know that. Everyone is looking forward to the World Cup. We were sequestered by Steve. It's designed to focus you and relieve you of the stress of going to a tournament. It had good intentions. It was a stark contrast to '94. We couldn't reconcile the beauty of the game with the fact that we weren't playing in a tournament.

We were in the middle of nowhere and an hour away from our training facility. The show was terrible. Everyone was ready to kill themselves after 5 minutes. The two of them. And you're not sure what to think. Isn't it gorgeous? I would love to have a romantic weekend with my wife. It wasn't with these guys. Do you think you're kidding? It was not a good idea.

Iran also had internal turmoil coming into the tournament. After helping Team Melli qualify for the World Cup with a famous result in Australia, the Brazilian manager was fired. Tomislav Ivic was appointed as his replacement. Three weeks before the World Cup was set to begin, Ivic was fired, following a 7-1 friendly defeat to ASRoma.

Jalal Talebi, an Iranian who relocated to the United States after the Iranian Revolution, replaced Ivic. At different times, the two men had been assistant coaches at the junior college.

There wasn't enough time to find a new coach for Iran. They were aware of my experience as a youth international coach. I worked in many countries as a coach. I know the players. They asked me about that. It was difficult for me because it was a big responsibility in Iran. Football is the only sport they like to play. I know that I'm going into a huge challenge. I believed in myself. I said I would try to do my best.

The United States lost to Germany in the opening game of the tournament.

Klinsmann scored a goal in the second half to put the game away after Germany scored off a corner kick in the first half. It was a foregone conclusion that the result would set up the crucial match against Iran.

Prior to the '98 World Cup, there were third-place teams that were able to go forward, so there was a lot of pressure on that game. In the '94 World Cup, the top two teams in each group were allowed to go forward, whereas in the '98 World Cup, only the top two teams in each group were allowed to go forward. It was important to get at least a tie in the second game. It made us feel a lot of pressure.

Six months before the World Cup, people began discussing this game. They want to win this game and every day someone from the government asks. I don't have to tell the players about the importance of the game. I try to get the players to forget that. Political is what they said. I want to make them feel less pressure on their bodies. They have a lot of pressure on them.

Cobi Jones said it wasn't like they were thinking about politics. It's the thing. To get through to the next round was our goal.

Brian Maisonneuve said that it was easier to focus on the game. We did not use our phones or the internet during our downtime. You were not able to get the news like you can now. You had to work to find it, so it was easier to block it out. It was simpler if you didn't want to find it. There was no chance of that happening now.

Soccer is a political sport at the highest level. In the lead up to it, there could have been more internal motivation and recognition of what was going on. If you're looking, who are you going to get three points from, this is a team that we need to beat.

The United States and Iran soccer federations tried to downplay the political component of the game, but behind the scenes it was always present.

Federation officials were in attendance. Pre- and post match responsibilities were discussed.

The Iranians are very upset. The delegation presented the Iranian delegation with a gift. We were also given a gift by them. The air was very dense. It was very dense.

You line up for the national anthem in a soccer game. There's a way to do this. There are two teams, one representing the home and the other the visitor. Team B shakes the hand of Team A at the end of the national anthem and both teams take a picture.

Iran's political leaders told their delegates that there would be no such thing. They would not touch the Americans' hands. It could have been an hour long debate on this issue. There was a really strong stance taken by the organization. If you don't want to play in a tournament, you can leave. I saw some balls and thought it was interesting. It was tense.

The United States proposed a joint picture before the match. After the meeting, the Iranians agreed to take a photo.

The first time the team came together, they took a picture. The World Cup has never happened before. I don't think anyone in the national team or Federation thought, "Okay, we are going to play people we don't like." It never occurred.

Steinbrecher thought about this for his entire career. I thought I took a too-conciliatory tone with our counterparts, given the nature of what they have done in their nation. I thought it was the right thing to do. Men are sporting men. We're not involved in politics. "An institution is the shadow of one man," is a quote I use a lot. I didn't think I cast a large shadow.

Our mentality may have been too soft. Going to that meeting with sternness would have been different. Things were really injured. That wouldn't have worked either.

I would use that to our advantage and make it more political with our players if I were to do it all over again.

Bob Ley remembers walking the morning of the match. What else could you do? You can walk up to the Basilica and see the Alps. I'm returning to Lyon. Cars and guys are wavingIranian flags. The people were very happy. This was more than a match for the Iranians.

The horns and happiness of fans got louder and louder as I got closer and closer to Vieux Lyon. Where was the center of the Iranian fervor until you got to the match? It was centered at the Mcdonald's in old Lyon. For the only time in my six weeks in France, I went into a Mcdonald's and ordered a "great Satan" burger and sat there and ate it. I said it was perfect. We won the cultural war for the people.

Preki says you can sense it. I can clearly remember getting close to the stadium and the atmosphere, but I also felt a lot of negative energy around the game. It was close to being an expectation that nobody would want to see. I felt that way. I've only had that feeling a few times.

When we got to the stadium, you realized the magnitude of the situation, and you could see the police and military on the rooftop. They were ready in case. You can see the SWAT guys in different areas around the stadium when you see them on the roof.

Rob Stone is a reporter for ABC Sports and remembers walking into the stadium and getting on the field. I wanted to know what that figure was doing there. An armed officer and a couple other people were standing on an elevated platform that could watch everything. It was my wake-up call that there were snipers here in case things went sideways. The athletics are being overtaken by politics.

A demonstration was held before the game started. There was a group of Iranians who were not happy with the government. It was difficult for us when we got inside the field to warm up because suddenly we saw a lot of people. They start yelling at our players and start booing us. It was difficult for our players to comprehend. Before the game, we had a conversation. This has taken place. We need to arrive here. We are playing.

Ley: All that enthusiasm I saw at McDonald's was duplicated inside the arena, but as everyone was coming in to take their seat I mimicked the sound of a helicopter. There is a helicopter in the sky. It came down and it hovered as it got lower and lower. I think it's between 75 and 100 feet over the stadium. I've never seen a sports match like that before. There is a military helicopter. Show of presence is not necessarily of force. Let's all have a good time today. There is plenty of security here. The tone was set by that.

Stone: It was a different world that we were living in, so we knew that there would be some political statements in the crowd, but they were not going to look for those. The Iranian government was worried about the images being projected to the world and they wanted to make sure they didn't happen.

The US team was presented with white flowers by the Iranian team before the game.

We made something special. We can give them flowers to say that we are here for peace. We are not here to fight.

Jones said that it was like a sign of sport trumping politics and everything else. It was great to have a mixed photo.

After we went on the field, we were told what to do. It was a great gesture. Outside of the two starting elevens playing each other, this game became a huge deal.

The players were not happy about a tactical shift. Five changes to the starting XI were made after the team dropped the 3-6-1 formation and switched to the 3-4-2 formation.

Rounding out the starting lineup are goalkeeper Kasey Keller, defender Eddie Pope, defender Thomas Dooley, defender David Regis, and forward Roy Wegerle. The people moved to the bench were Mike Burns, Brian Maisonneuve, Earnie Stewart, Chad Deering and Eric Wynalda.

Two days after the Germany defeat, the training sessions were terrible. We changed a lot. We spent the entire time on this 3-6-1 and then decided not to do it. We played one game and it spoke volumes about how disorganized we were. There was a feeling of discontent in the group when that lineup went up, like, "Oh my god."

The part that blew me away was that we did 3-6-1 type things. We lost to Germany but we weren't overrun. No big deal, you lost to Germany. You change everything for Iran as a result of panic. It would have been one of the biggest upsets in US soccer history if we had beaten Germany. Who doesn't care? If you get a result after beating Iran, that's all that matters. Everything got blown out in the lead up to the Iran game and that was the part that got questioned.

When you look at the experience of sitting on the bench, it was frustrating to a few of us, especially leading into the World Cup when a few of us weren't told why we went from starting every game to now sitting on the bench.

Some lineup changes were made. I used to play on the left side. I remember Joe-Max Moore was supposed to be a left-back behind me, but I didn't know what was going on.

Wynalda wondered if Joe-Max was playing a game. We had no idea what position he was playing. He was playing a position for the first time. He should not have said yes to that.

I lived in Palo Alto. I was aware of the American player. They have a great deal of pride. They said they are going to win the game. They have a lot of psychology. It's because they should. The United States is the top ranked country in the world. The players had the same feeling. I told my players that the United States is going to score a goal and that they will have a lot of difficulty in the beginning. That is what happened. We would like to win more than the US. You have a chance if I'm right.

The Americans were on top of their game. In the 3rd minute, Brian McBride hit the bar with a headed ball. In the 33rd, he hit the post. Iran slowly gained a foothold in the match, and Keller was lucky to avoid a penalty when he upended Iran's attacker, but the referee waved play on.

The US was very attack-heavy and lacked a ball-winner. Hamid Estili headed the ball over the outstretched hand of Keller in the 37th minute. For most of the match, the US was in control.

If you play for a tie, you end up losing and that's what we had to do. Our desire to win was shown on the field because we attacked with too many numbers and lacked balance, which led to their two goals.

At the half, the locker room was quiet. It wasn't loud. Things had gone so far that it was almost like Steve's problem. It needs to be fixed. We didn't have an opinion because we had been conditioned not to.

The only reason I know is that after the World Cup, their government officials came down and collected every single one of their passports and threatened them that if they lost the game, that they They would suffer because of it. They decided to make it political.

That didn't happen. We were getting the win. This isn't correct. The locker room wasn't occupied by anyone. The head of the federation and the players were the only ones who were present. Nobody else was in the building. To see the players as well.

Preki and Stewart were put on for Wegerle and Ramos in the 57th minute after the U.S. fell behind by a goal. The woodwork was unfriendly to the US and they hit the post in the 73rdminute. Nine minutes later, Maisonneuve entered for Dooley.

Before my name was called, I was certain that another attacker was going to be in. When I got the call to warm up, he told me to play in front of the center-back, but in the back. I was supposed to play in the middle of the field.

The US pushed Iran for a second goal. Brian McBride scored for the US but it wasn't enough.

Brad Friedel said, "If you got on an airplane right now, we'd all understand." Wynalda said, "When they put Maisonneuve in, the entire bench looked down at me and they said, "If you got on an airplane right now, we' I'll never forget it. I untied my shoes and sat at the end of the bench. I was thrilled when Brian scored in the 87th minute to make it 2-1 and give us a chance, but I would have cut off my finger.

Even though Eric Wynalda wasn't completely fit, I needed to put him on the field. I watched it in the match.

"Why did you stop playing so direct into McBride?" the manager asked Keller when he went back toLeicester. They were being killed by you guys. We stopped doing things that worked. I believe there is still a thought process that we have to play a particular way and not play what is successful.

The Americans were already out of the tournament when Germany and Yugoslavia tied 2-2.

It's one of the most difficult results I've had. It became more difficult because we should have beaten them. We kicked the s--- out of Iran even though we were having internal issues.

It would have been a goal if I put the ball in the net and the upper V out. That's what I'm thinking about. You have to put the ball in the net if you want to survive. You definitely have a negative view when you lose. You're telling me that we had a lot of chances. I don't recall that way. I didn't think it was a good thing. Is that biased? Yes, definitely. It was over time and we lost the game. It doesn't mean that we were so close.

It wasn't our day, that's for sure. In big games where one team is completely dominating, it's not going over the line. Getting to the line, getting to the post and having great possession are some of the things that happen when you get to the line. It isn't being your day.

We did not know how much the game meant to Iran. The people were crying. We were dealing with our demons but at the same time we were watching them celebrate. They were deserving of it.

Everything was as we were expecting. I am happy to have finished that way because I am close to 40 years old and we are friends. I have friends in the United States. I'm here, I'm here. I didn't do anything wrong and they didn't treat me like a foreigner. They made me feel like a person who is living here. Most of the Iranians don't have a problem with the US. They would like to be friends.

Ramos thought he was playing with the captain of the day. We ended up being teammates in MLS and he was a great guy. We were talking about the game while we were playing.

With the US team's World Cup over, players unloaded on their coach in the press.

"If this was the master plan, good god, it was pretty masterful," he said. The definition of a master plan is odd. The coaches did not get the most out of what they had. I don't want to be a part of the national team if Steve and Clive are still there.

Jones said that a lot of players were unhappy with the situation and will revolt. You have a lot of top talent, with a lot of pride, and when you're already out of the tournament before the last game, it just makes it more volatile. A lot of players were unhappy with it. They felt free to criticize where they thought things went wrong.

Someone was going to say something and it was a matter of when. It was not what we were expecting. A lot of things happening, from the Harkes thing to a lot of other things, and I think we talked to Jesus after that. We thought it was silly that some players got in trouble for going to the media and talking after the game.

An amateur is in charge. That's going to help you. It only destroys someone else and then they come out. A group of people that weren't going to do what was best for the team made it difficult to manage. What was best for them was what they would do.

There's embarrassment, anger, and675316753167531675316753167531675316753167531675316753167531 I'm not sure what it would have been like in the past. All of the things that had been kept out of the public's sight bubbled up.

It comes from a great place. We realized that we had wasted an opportunity and that we were better than we thought.

From my perspective, it was unnecessary. It did not have to be like that. Maybe that's naive on my part, but I think that if we had been involved more, things would have been different. Being an athlete is about being egomaniacs.

Almost all of them have apologized, and they would have handled things differently. Alexi has told me that they would have done it differently if he'd spoken out more. They disrupted the chemistry of the team.

With elimination assured, there was still another game to be played against Yugoslavia. NATO launched a bombing campaign against Bosnian Serb military positions in 1995 during the Bosnian War, which had an affect on the match. The US team fell to a single goal.

Ley will always remember when the US national anthem is played. The color commentator asked me to look over there. There had to be 10,000 Yugoslavians in one place. Nobody remembers that match because it didn't have the cache of the Iran-USA match.

The US team made it to the quarterfinals in 2002 because of what happened in 1998. There was a lot of learning to do.

What changes would you make? Being a better teammate is what part of me says. Everyone is going to the World Cup. At the World Cup, I probably wasn't the best person to have around. It's important that the group is important. I don't think someone like myself would have left if Steve had to pick that group again. If I did it again, I would not allow my situation or others' situations to affect the proceedings and thus be a part of wasting that opportunity.

The narrative of the World Cup being a failure was disappointing. You don't want to see that when you lose all the games. Every player in the World Cup will tell you that they came out of nowhere and they were at the last minute, I think that's what Steve Sampson did.

We were going to lose two games no matter what. We weren't going to beat Yugoslavia. Two competitors had a chance to win the World Cup. The fact that the Iran game was going either way made it difficult for us. It was a failure because we were out before the third game even started.

It was a disappointment for all of us. The weight of the moment and the country that is just starting to make strides in world football made the World Cup on a more regular basis. We all thought we had a better team than the results showed.