ALRAYAN, Qatar — US coach Greg Verhalter apologized after saying he and his players were not involved in a USA Soccer social media post that removed the center image of the Iranian flag. However, he insisted that his team’s focus be on his side going into the Group B showdown.
The USSF eventually removed the offending posts, but not before Iran lodged a complaint with FIFA’s Ethics Committee. Barhalter added that his thoughts are with the Iranian people, many of whom have engaged in protests against the treatment of women following the death of 22-year-old Masa Amini, who was detained by the country’s morality police. rice field.
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“The players and staff knew nothing about what was posted,” said Verhalter. “Sometimes things are out of our hands. We believe the outcome will depend on who puts in more effort and performs better on the field. to apologize on behalf of, but that’s not part of us.
“We didn’t know what U.S. Soccer had announced. We didn’t know anything, neither the staff nor the players. And for us, our focus is on this game. I don’t want to sound distant or careless by saying this, but to those of you who have worked really hard over the past four years, you have 72 hours between England and Iran. [how] You can advance to this knockout stage of the tournament.
“Of course, our thoughts are with the Iranian people…the whole country, the whole team, everyone, but our focus is on this match.”
The press conference took unexpected twists and turns and was attended by Berhalter and the captain Tyler Adams On discrimination in the US, whether former US coach Jürgen Klinsmann engaged in “psychological warfare” against Iran with comments about Iranian culture, the negative effects of inflation in the US, whether the country is behind the team, And they are aware that US citizens are allowed to travel to Iran, but not vice versa.
Adams was also reprimanded by an Iranian reporter for mispronouncing “Iran.” Adams apologized before he and Berhalter got the upper hand on other topics.
“Sport should bring people together, it should bring nations together,” said Verhalter. “When you watch the Olympics, it’s a great event to see all these countries competing at the same time. The World Cup is very similar and people come from all over the world. Fans from all over the world and you as brothers Sport has the ability to do that because it allows us to compete on the field.”
Asked about discrimination in the United States, Adams replied that discrimination is everywhere.
“It’s a process,” Adams said of fighting discrimination. “As long as we see progress, I think that’s the most important thing.”
As for the match itself, the US faces a must-win situation, while Iran can go ahead with a draw.
“Obviously, it’s a knockout game for both teams, so it’s going to be a high level of intensity,” said Verhalter. Dedication, a really good fight back, and we expect it to be a hotly contested match.”
Burhalter was also questioned by former US representative and Sirius XM broadcaster Eric Wynalda about allegations that the US manager lied to the media. Giovanni ReinaHis condition after he didn’t play against Wales, and he asked Reina to lie as well.
“I’ll leave it to you [the media] We will determine if you asked Gio to lie about it,” Burhalter said. That’s not what I represent. If you need to take Eric’s words or mine or whatever, feel free to say so. That’s not what I represent. Like everyone else, Gio is a member of this team that we truly care about and know he can help the team. , and the question is how he can help us. ”
Berhalter was also asked about his central striker performance and whether Reina could be a potential replacement. Josh Sargent When Haji Wright “He did a decent job for us,” he said, adding that it was up to his teammates to serve him better.
He added: Christian [Pulisic] over there Timmy Ware over there Jordan Morris there. We are more focused on the three of us at camp. ”
