The US Men's Soccer Team Beat Iran On Tuesday, But Iranian Players Deserve All The Credit

The Iranian men's national soccer team played a crucial World Cup match against the US on Tuesday, despite some of the most challenging circumstances any athletes have faced.

The Iranian players did not sing their national anthem before their game last week. They did this to show their support for the Iranian protesters who took to the streets after the death of a woman in police custody. The players were told by Iran's government to end their protest or they would be imprisoned and tortured in their home country. The players mouthsed the words to the national anthem with grimaced or sad faces before their second game.

In the days leading up to Tuesday's game against the US, which would determine who would move on to the next round and who would go home, soccer representatives of the two nations had some tense interactions. The United States Soccer Federation deleted the emblem of the Islamic Republic from Iran's flag in order to show support for the women in Iran who are fighting for their rights. Iran called for the US to be kicked out of the World Cup for violating its rule against offending the integrity of a country.

At a press conference on Monday, Iranian journalists grilled the US head coach and team captain about their country's foreign policy and social unrest. Adams, who is black, was asked if he was okay to represent a country that had so much discrimination against black people. In the US, Adams said, we are continuing to make progress every day.

The tension was at the forefront of my mind as Iran's players sang their national anthem. There was a quiet room at the bar where I was watching. Only one of these teams would advance and the other would have to wait four more years to play in the World Cup. Iran and the US are outside of the top 15 on the official rankings of international soccer, which is not a good sign. They have never made it to a World Cup final. Men's soccer, the world's most popular sport, remains a realm where Americans can still enjoy cheering on an opponent. The crowd around me began chanting "U-S-A" when the national anthem ended. If the Americans were able to win they would get a spot in the last 16 for the first time in four years.

I imagined what would happen if Iran won the tournament and continued to play well. The oppression they were experiencing would draw more attention to them. If they made the final, it would be one of the most watched broadcasts. Would they bring back their protests on the highest stage? Is it possible that Iran's leaders would punish players who helped the nation to its proudest athletic achievement? The better the team performs, the more global attention, the more domestic support, the more political leverage to protect them and their families.

The US won the game by one goal. It occurred to me that I was cheering for the villain who ends the journey of this World Cup's plucky protagonist, even as I watched my American brethren succeed, keeping hope alive that maybe this could be the year the US men's soccer team Advances Past the opening rounds. Iran's people care more about soccer than America's, and Iran's players are more likely to condemn injustice at a World Cup clouded by human rights abuses and suppression of dissent.

6,500 migrant workers have died since 2010 in labor conditions that have left stadiums under construction in host nation, and laws that criminalize homosexuality, as well as restrictions on filming in areas that could illuminate labor or living conditions around the country, have been put in place. The organization in charge of the World Cup defended the efforts to keep politics out of view. The players from seven countries were banned from wearing the rainbow armbands. Germany's players took a photo with their hands covering their mouths, England's players took a knee before their game, and Wales hung a rainbow flag at its training facility.

At a time of crises across the globe, people are navigating harmful institutions, complicit in sins that are rarely easy to untangle. I contribute to the World Cup ratings because I enjoy watching the games, even though I am aware of the human rights abuses in the country. The prudent route has been taken so far by players, who speak up as much as they can without hurting their chances of winning matches.

If those players dared the officials to disqualify them, what would that look like? The biggest story in the world would be the elimination of teams from competition. More teams would have joined in solidarity, more games would have been canceled, and the television ratings would have tanked. It is possible that the spirit of protest would have carried over into the next World Cup, which will feature games in the US, where recent laws have denied rights to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer community. The European players haven't risked their privileges. The US players have not been involved in any protest efforts this World Cup.

Politics isn't what someone signs up for when they devote their life to sports. Sport is supposed to be an escape from real-world ills, an outlet that channels emotions toward outcomes with less significance than civil rights, economics, and war.

Part of what makes the World Cup so exciting is that fans invest in the competition in order to see the nations compete. After gaining independence from Spain in the early 19th century, Uruguay hosted the first World Cup in 1930 and defeated Argentina to win the title. Brazil, which gained independence from Portugal in 1822, won the World Cup three times. Croatia reached the tournament final for the first time after the dissolution of Yugoslavia, while West Germany won three World Cups. In 1998, a far-right politician in France, Jean-Marie Le Pen, said that his country's team wasn't truly "French" because it had so many ethnic players.

The number of World Cup won by formerly colonized nations of the Global South was equal to that of the Global North. At the 2002 World Cup, Brazil won its fifth championship, the most by any country, and five more than Portugal had won. The demographic makeup of teams like Germany, England, and Belgium shows the migration patterns of people from the Global South. The descendants of colonized people made up the majority of the teams that won the World Cup. 17 of the 23 players on France's World Cup winning team were immigrants or children of immigrants.

I used to find it easy to root against the imperialist teams, but that is no longer the case. Kylian is the son of a father from Africa and a mother from Algeria. He was born in a refugee camp. As many as 12 of the 26 players on the US team are black.

Sergio Dest was born in the Netherlands to a Dutch mother and an American father. In the 38th minute, Dest headed the ball to Christian Pulisic, who knocked it into the goal to give the US a 1–0 lead.

The crowd around me yelled "U-S-A!" I raised my arms in joy and pride for my country.

I was one of three people of color in a bar filled with over 100 people when the Iran–US game started. Billy and Bassel Heiba Elfeky, NYU graduate students in Boston, sat next to me early in the second half for a physics conference. Elfeky was a big fan of Iran. As the game intensified in its final minutes with the US desperately clinging to its lead, he expressed himself quietly. He pumped his first after the US was called for a penalty. He shook his head when the rest of the bar clapped for a corner kick.

Elfeky was born in Egypt and moved to the US for college. They have lots of cash. The men make more money than the women. Iran is a complete outsider.

If the US and Japan played each other, he would support Japan. Elfeky is a big fan of the US men's soccer team.

He said that they play a very boring game.

The US cleared out an Iranian shot that seemed destined to tie the game, and Elfeky let out a scream. He sighed and said that the game was a good one. Both teams played hard, helped each other up off the grass, and showed the camaraderie that leads people to say that sports don't matter. Iran's players are an inspiration for how they display so much pride and love for their country and their people.

Justice rarely prevails in sports and Elfeky was disappointed. He and Strickland threw on their jackets and backpacks and left. Soon Iran's players would be home as well.