• Following Friday’s hard-fought draw with England
• U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter vowed that politics will play no role in his team’s match against Iran in the World Cup
• Group B’s Al Bayt Stadium match between the United States and England ended in a scoreless tie, much to the satisfaction of Berhalter and his young squad

The outcome sets up an intriguing showdown with Iran next Tuesday when a victory for either side will guarantee a spot in the last 16.

The eagerly awaited encounter is a replay of the politically-charged 1998 World Cup game between the geopolitical enemies, won 2-1 by Iran, called the “Mother of all football matches.”

Berhalter, though, stressed that political issues would not enter Tuesday’s event so long as tensions between the US and Iranian governments remained.

“I´ve played in three different countries, and I coached in Sweden, and the thing about soccer is you meet so many different people from all around the world, and you´re united by a common love of the sport,” Berhalter said.

“I envision the game being hotly contested for the fact that both teams want to advance to the next round — not because of politics or because of relations between our countries.

We’re soccer players; we compete, and they compete; it’s what we do.

Berhalter recognised though that the stakes for the game could not be higher, calling it as his team´s “first knockout game” of the World Cup.

We’re going to be training the players with the mindset that “we win or we’re out of the World Cup,” as Berhalter put it.

“Most importantly, however, is an appreciation for the level of intensity Iran will bring.

If we want to succeed, we’ll have to show that we’re ready to face challenges.

After two draws, the United States sits in third place in Group B, two points behind Iran, who have been on a roll since beating Wales 2-0 on Friday.

This is going to be good one. 👀@England top a competitive Group B. Who will advance to the next round?#FIFAWorldCup | #Qatar2022 pic.twitter.com/uSw02YFukA

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) November 25, 2022

In their final game, England, who has four points in the group, will play Wales.

If the US defeats Iran, they will guarantee their spot in the knockout rounds.

“Any time you´re in a World Cup and you get to go into the last game controlling your destiny, that´s a pretty good thing,” Berhalter said.

The Americans’ composed performance on Friday also advances their mission of changing international perceptions of soccer in the United States, where the NFL, basketball, and baseball continue to be the three most popular sports.

“We´re chipping away at it,” Berhalter said. “You need games like tonight otherwise it´s hard for people to get a good assessment of it.

“But we´re not done, and we want to keep going.”

Meanwhile, US captain Tyler Adams praised his team’s “next man up” tenacity.

“Definitely would have preferred three points,” Adams said. “But definitely happy with the performances of all the guys that performed tonight. It was that next man up mentality.

“Guys ran and competed until they couldn´t run any more.

“It´s been a three-year journey full of ups and downs. But we can´t be too happy with ourselves — we´ve got to find the negatives and iron them out.”

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