United States v Iran, played on 21 June 1998, was a football match between Iran and the United States in the group stage of the 1998 FIFA World Cup at the Stade de Gerland in Lyon, France. The match, which is described as the "mother of all games" and the "most politically charged game in World Cup history," ended with a 2–1 victory for Iran, the team's first ever victory in the history of the FIFA World Cup. Hamid Estili and Mehdi Mahdavikia scored for Iran, while Brian McBride scored for the United States.

The match was played against a backdrop of political tension between the United States and Iran and was seen as an opportunity to improve US-Iran relations which had been nonexistent since the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Players and coaches on both teams attempted to downplay the politics of the game, although tensions remained with Iran refusing to approach the Americans during the pre-match ceremony and anti-Iranian regime protests taking place in the stadium. These tensions and concerns over terrorism led to a large police presence at the match. Despite the concerns, the match itself was peaceful.

Iran's victory was met with large-scale celebrations in Iran, with the Iranian government presenting it as a display of the unity and superiority of the Iranian people. For the United States, the match was a major disappointment and saw them eliminated from the World Cup. The two teams would meet again twice, in a friendly played in Pasadena, California and in the group stage of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Background

The match was preceded by a series of events contributing to a hostile relationship between The United States of America and Iran. Poor relations started with the overthrow of the democratically elected Prime Minister of Iran, Mohammad Mosaddegh, by the US and the UK in a 1953 coup d'etat, due to his policy to nationalize Iran's oil industry. The coup saw the ascension of Mohammed Reza Pahlavi as Iran's sole ruler. Pahlavi, who was friendly with the United States throughout his rule, was deposed by staunchly anti-Western Islamic fundamentalists in the Iranian Revolution. Pahlavi fled the country, ultimately seeking asylum in the US, leading to the Iranian Hostage Crisis. Starting on 4 November 1979, 52 Americans were held hostage for over a year. Relations further soured when on 3 July 1988, a US Navy ship shoot down Iran Air Flight 655, killing all 290 people on board. The incident prompted Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to call for a "Real war" against the United States. Despite this, relations started to thaw in 1998 following reformist Mohammad Khatami getting elected President of Iran, which was seen by US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright as a new opportunity to normalize strained relations.

This 1998 World Cup was significant for Iran as it was their first World Cup since Argentina 1978. They had managed to qualify for the 1998 World Cup following a 2-2 draw against Australia in the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which prompted mass celebrations across Iran.

Coaching the Iranian national team was Jalal Talebi, who was appointed only three weeks prior to the Cup, following the firing of Croatian Tomislav Ivic in the aftermath of a 7-1 friendly defeat at the hands of AS Romana. Talebi had left Iran in 1980 and was living in the Bay Area of Northern California. It was there that he coached soccer at Foothill Junior College, where Steve Sampson, the US Men's National Soccer Team head coach at the time, had also spent time coaching.

The United States and Iran were placed in a group with Germany and Yugoslavia. In their respective opening matches, the US lost 2-0 to the former and Iran fell 1-0 to the latter. In their game against Yugoslavia, Iran was noted for their aggressive, "fearless" style of play, committing 30 fouls, in contrast to the US's "timid" performance against the Germans.

The head coach of the Iranian team stated that the game was nonpolitical, which was supported by Steve Sampsons' content nature about having a neutral Swiss referee. Despite these claims, this game was notably depicted in Iran as between them and The Great Satan, but this sentiment was largely avoided by the members of the Iranian team. "We don't have any problems with the United States players. We want to find new friends," said midfielder Alireza Mansourian. American players echoed the nonpolitical messaging: "I haven't heard anyone say, 'Let's beat Iran, let's do it for Bill Clinton,'" said midfielder Tab Ramos. Some Iranians felt their team had to win to honor or avenge the estimated 500,000 Iranians who were killed or injured in the Iran-Iraq War, in which the US supported Iraq. Khodadad Azizi, the Iranian team's striker, said "Many families of martyrs are expecting us to win", reflecting national sentiments surrounding the match.

The footballing and political leadership of Iran saw the World Cup and the match against the US as an opportunity to paint a positive picture of Iran to the world. The team was viewed as cultural ambassadors, with President Khatami declaring that virtuous behavior would be, "Your greatest victory, greater than any win or loss." The rhetoric from the Americans focused on peace and improving relations.

On the day of the match, Univision aired videotaped remarks by President Clinton:The World Cup is beloved across our planet because it offers a chance for people from around the world to be judged not by the place they grew up, the color of their skin, or the way they choose to worship but by their spirit, skill, and strength. As we cheer today's game between American and Iranian athletes, I hope it can be another step toward ending the estrangement between our nations. I am pleased that over the last year, President Khatami and I have both worked to encourage more people-to-people exchanges and to help our citizens develop a better understanding of each other's rich civilizations.In spite of calls for depolarization on both sides, the game was still marked by political tensions. A week prior to the match, French television aired the film Not Without My Daughter, which negatively depicted life in Iran. The broadcast was met with harsh condemnation from the Iranian embassy and Talebi. Additionally, there was a politically motivated bombing plot that was stopped shortly before the game. A group of Algerian Islamic fundamentalists who were part of an organization called the Groupes Islamic Armees, were apprehended in May. They were found to have explosives, detonators, fuses and guns and were planning to hide among the crowd to cause as much damage with as little effort as possible. Concerns about potential other plots led to both teams and their facilities being consistently surrounded by large security details.

Pre-match ceremony According to FIFA regulations, teams in each match are classified as team A or team B. Team B, Iran in this match, typically walks towards team A for the pre-match handshakes. The supreme leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, "Gave express orders that the Iranian team must not walk towards the Americans." Mehrdad Masoudi, one of the FIFA media officers of the match, and Urs Meier, the Swiss referee, negotiated with the teams, and as a result, the Americans walked towards the Iranians.

During a carefully choreographed ceremony, the Iranian players gifted white roses to their American opponents as a symbol of peace. The American team gave the Iranians United States Soccer Federation (USSF) pennants, also as a symbol of peace. Both teams posed for a photograph together, an uncommon occurrence. These peaceful acts further highlighted the spirit of camaraderie that was building between the two teams. The sentiment of peace and camaraderie expressed in the ceremony contributed to FIFA awarding both teams the 1998 Fair Play Award.

Match

Protests and security

The match was played at the Stade de Gerland with an extensive amount of security present. Around 150 French police officers were deployed throughout the interior of the stadium which was a huge number for a World Cup game at that time, with riot squads aligned on the perimeter of the field.

During the match, balloons and banners with slogans from the opposite team drifted onto the pitch; several spectators revealed shirts bearing images and symbols of exiled Iranian opposition leaders. Thousands of Iranians that were a part of the anti-regime movement Mujahedin-e Khalq gained access to a global stage for their demonstrations through purchasing tickets to the game. Demonstrations were met with French police quickly who were able to remove signs and out-of-line spectators. Broadcasters were told not to film the protestors to avoid further escalation and attention. Despite outbursts of tension and potential conflict, the stadium’s protestors remained largely peaceful, with some of crowd dancing the Macarena at half time. At full time, police surrounded the perimeter of the pitch anticipating a take-over; however, everyone left the stadium without trouble.

Summary

The United States prevailed in the beginning of the game as their high press worked well and eventually led to opportunities on goal where they hit the post and crossbar within 30 minutes. Their dominance did not last long as Iran’s Hamid Estili’s header from a cross found the back of the net against United States goalkeeper Kasey Keller in the 40th minute.

Despite a sense of urgency about the Americans, Iranian goalkeeper Ahmad Abedzadeh kept the goals out with several big saves. Near the end of the second half at the 84th minute, Mehdi Mahdavikia slotted a low strike inside the far post after a quick counterattack. Nearly 3 minutes later Brian Mcbride made it 2–1 with a header from close range, however the Americans were unable to find an equalizer.

During the game, USMNT head coach Steve Sampson adopted a 3-5-2 formation, dropping the 3-6-1 that they used against Germany. Sampson also made several lineup changes, moving Joe-Max Moore from his usual position of forward to left-back. When Brian Maisonneuve was subbed in for Thomas Dooley, he was assigned to play "Kind of in the back but play in front of [the center-back]. I've never played in the back line, but I was supposed to be in midfield." Sampson also controversially decided to move key players, including Alexi Lalas, Marcello Balboa, and Eric Wynalda to the bench. All these decisions were met with frustration from the players.

Details

GK 18Kasey KellerCB 3 Eddie PopeCB 5 Thomas Dooley (c) CB 6 David Regis RWB 2 Frankie HejdukCM 10Tab Ramos CM 21Claudio ReynaCM 9 Joe-Max MooreLWB 13Cobi JonesCF 7 Roy Wegerle CF 20Brian McBrideSubstitutions:MF 8 Earnie Stewart MF 14Predrag Radosavljević MF 19Brian Maisonneuve Manager:Steve Sampson GK 1 Ahmad Reza Abedzadeh (c)CB 4 Mohammad KhakpourCB 14Nader Mohammadkhani CB 20Mehdi PashazadehRWB 17Javad Zarincheh CM 2 Mehdi MahdavikiaCM 6 Karim BagheriCM 9 Hamid EstiliLWB 21Mehrdad Minavand CF 11Khodadad Azizi CF 10Ali DaeiSubstitutions:MF 7 Alireza Mansourian DF 5 Afshin Peyrovani DF 3 Naeim Saadavi Manager:Jalal Talebi

Assistant referees: Laurent Rausisi (Switzerland) Nicolae Grigorescu (Romania) Fourth official: Lucien Bouchardeau (Niger)

Aftermath