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With political tension swirling, President Bill Clinton said on the morning of the match, 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 I hope it can be another step toward ending the estrangement between our nations.

The teams also met in a January 2000 friendly match at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. Midfielder Chris Armas, currently an assistant coach with Manchester United, scored for the U.S.

Head coach Dragan Skoi took over the Iran national team in February 2020 after the squad got off to a slow start in the second round of Asian qualifying. The Croatian turned Irans fortunes around immediately, leading Team Melli to seven straight wins, four to close out the second round and three to start the third round strong.

Prior to joining Iran, Skoi coached for eight years in the club game in the Balkans and the Middle East, including stops in his native Croatia, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Slovenia. As a player, the Croatian played professionally in Croatia, Spain and the United Arab Emirates. He was the first Croatian league player to venture out and ply his trade abroad.

Midfielder Eshan Hajsafi has served as Irans captain throughout World Cup qualifying and has earned 118 caps for Team Mejii, the most of any active player. Playing for AEK Athens in the Greek Super League, Hajsafi appeared for Iran at the 2014 and 2018 World Cups.

With 40 goals in just 62 caps, Sardar Azmoun is Irans active scoring leader and led the squad with 10 goals in World Cup qualifying. The forward moved to Germanys Bayer Leverkusen during the January transfer window and is Irans all-time leading scorer in the UEFA Champions League, netting six goals during his time with Russias Zenit Saint Petersburg.

Forwards Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Mehdi Taremi netted a number of important goals for Iran during the critical third round of Asian World Cup qualifying, each tallying four times. Taremi, currently at Porto in Portugal, netted the goal that punched Team Mejiis ticket to Qatar vs. Iraq in January. Jahanbakhsh led the Eredivisie in scoring during the 2017-18 season with AZ Alkmaar and now plays for Dutch power Feyenoord.

More here:
Five Things To Know About IR Iran - U.S. Soccer