AL RAYYAN, Qatar – He didn’t even play in the match, but Gregg Berhalter remembers it like it was yesterday.
As a young central defender with just four caps for the United States way back in 1998, the current U.S. coach was one of the final cuts on the American squad that famously lost to Iran at the World Cup in France that summer.
“That game just sticks in my mind, burns in my mind,” Berhalter said on Monday, a day before his squad will meet Team Melli on the biggest stage for the second time (2 p.m. ET, FOX and the FOX Sports app) — a contest they must win to reach the knockout stage at Qatar 2022. “What I saw from the opening whistle is one team that really wanted to win the game and one team that didn’t.
“Iran wanted to win the game with everything,” Berhalter continued. “For us to have a chance to advance [on Tuesday], that’s gonna have to be the mindset of our group, because we know exactly what Iran is going to bring. It’s a well-coached team, a very committed team. And we don’t want to make the same mistakes of the past.”
The past is never far away when talking about these two teams. While the countries they represent are well-known political adversaries off the field, their histories on it are surprisingly intertwined.
Years before managing mighty Real Madrid, current Iran coach Carlos Queiroz worked in MLS, leading the club now known as the New York Red Bulls during the domestic league’s inaugural 1996 season. Two years later he was a working for the U.S. Soccer Federation, consulting on youth development.
“Carlos Queiroz was a guy that I grew up admiring,” Berhalter said Monday. “He’s a wonderful coach.”
Queiroz’s ties to the country he’ll face on Tuesday run deep. When he led Iran at the first of three World Cups, in 2014, Queiroz brought a Portuguese-American goalkeeper coach (Dan Gaspar) and an Iranian-American defender (Steven Beitashour) to Brazil.
Two of his predecessors have strong links to the U.S., too.
Jalal Talebi, Iran’s coach in 1998, now lives in Northern California. Tehran-born, Los Angeles-raised Ashfin Ghotbi, who was on the U.S. staff at France ’98, went on to helm Team Melli from 2009-11.
On Monday, Queiroz talked with pride about his role in advancing the U.S. game.
“It’s a great team, a different football team from the United States that I saw in the beginning,” he said of Berhalter’s talented young squad. “Without any doubt, in my opinion, the most consistent and probably the team that made the best two performances in our group is the United States. They played very well in the first game against Wales and very well against England. All the other teams, including our team, were not so consistent. So we know the difficulties we have tomorrow.”
Iran still has a significant advantage. While it’s win-or-go-home for the U.S., Queiroz’s side needs only a tie to reach the second round for the first time in six tries.
“It’s a lot of motivation that probably is stronger than United States’,” Queiroz said. “For us, it is more special than for them.”
That part is certainly up for debate. After missing out on the last World Cup, the Americans have plenty of motivation of their own. Failing to beat Iran would be a colossal letdown for a program that has spent the last four years trying to both win back the respect of planet futbol and convince casual fans at home that they are worthy of their attention and support. Tuesday is an opportunity they simply can’t afford to squander.
“This team is going to be judged on what we do at the World Cup,” Berhalter acknowledged.
“We know how important this is,” added U.S. captain Tyler Adams.
With enormous stakes for both teams, it will also be a fascinating encounter. Iran has the oldest team in the tournament; the Americans are fielding the second-youngest. Team Melli was thoroughly outclassed by England in their opener before rebounding with a dominant performance against Wales.
“It’s almost like they played with nothing to lose,” Berhalter said.
With everything to lose on Tuesday, will they sit back and try to defend for 90 minutes?
“After watching Iran’s last game, I would not expect them to do that,” Adams said.
Berhalter didn’t sound as sure.
“I would expect Carlos Queiroz to do whatever he thinks is necessary for his team to advance.”
Berhalter will obviously do the same. While it’s clear that the U.S. boss has plenty of respect for his counterpart on the opposing sideline given their shared history, he and his team is determined to write their own in the on-field rivalry between these two foes.
“What I see from the group is this tremendous amount of focus,” Berhalter said of the U.S. “There’s no real distractions, and I know there’s a lot going on here.
“Tomorrow is a great challenge,” he added. “I’m really excited to see how we respond.”
Doug McIntyre is a soccer writer for FOX Sports. Before joining FOX Sports in 2021, he was a staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports and he has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams at multiple FIFA World Cups. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.
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