Iran Press/ Iran news: Carlos Queiroz, Iran's National Football Head Coach, in a press conference on Monday before the Iran-USA match in FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Iran boss Carlos Queiroz has hailed the USA as the best team in Group B ahead of the two side's crucial clash Tuesday.
" Tomorrow we play against, without any doubt, in my opinion, the most consistent and probably the team that made the best two performances in our group, the United States, Carlos Queiroz said, adding that "So we know the difficulties we have tomorrow."
"We play a very, very good team, very well organized, with the same dream, with the same goal in mind," Queiroz added.
On Tuesday, Iran faces the USA on the final matchday of Group B at the World Cup. Gregg Berhalter's team must win the clash to progress to the knockout stages.
Iran - USA on the final matchday of Group B is a must-win clash for the Iran Team Melli with a place in the last 16 on the line.
The US sits third in the group, one point behind Iran, knowing it needs to beat Queiroz's side to progress to the knockouts. A loss or draw will send the USA packing.
Despite the high stakes, Queiroz was praised for the opposition, insisting his team would face a challenge.
'They played very well in the first game against Wales and very well against England, Queiroz said.
'So we know the difficulties we have tomorrow. We play a very, very good team, very well organized, with the same dream, with the same goal in mind.'
Then, weighing into an age-old linguistic debate, he added: 'I can say it like this: They jumped from soccer to football.'
Iran coach Carlos Queiroz further said he hoped the next World Cup would feature less about politics and more about football, stressing there were better ways to use the sport as a force for good.
Speaking ahead of his team's Group B match on Tuesday against the United States, Queiroz was asked about the U.S. Soccer federation temporarily displaying Iran's national flag on social media without the emblem of the Islamic Republic.
"I still believe I can win games with those mental games," he told a news conference.
"Those ... events surrounding this World Cup I hope will be a lesson for all of us in the future and we learn that our mission is here to create entertainment and for 90 minutes make people happy."
Queiroz said there was a time and place to use football to make an impact in the world and received applause from journalists when he spoke of "magic moments" from a simple gesture like giving footballs to impoverished children in Africa.
"We have solidarity with humanitarian causes all over the world," he said.
In a barely veiled reference to the United States, he added: "You talk of human rights, racism, kids dying in schools with shootings, we have solidarity with all those causes. But here our mission is bring smiles to all people for 90 minutes."
The USA shared the spoils with Wales in its World Cup opener after an 82nd-minute equalizer before impressively holding favorites England to a goalless draw in its second Group B game, leaving it with two points.
While the USMNT needs a win to progress, a tie will send Iran through as long as Wales doesn't surprisingly beat England, and victory for Queiroz's side will see them make the knockouts no matter what happens in The Three Lions' game.
Queiroz's comments come amid tension between the two camps after the US soccer federation displayed Iran's national flag on social media without the emblem of the Islamic Republic.
An action that forced US football officials to apologize.
US has to pay the price of the distortion of the Iranian national flag
Iran’s Vice-President for Political Affairs, Mohammad Dehqan, said on Monday that the US has to pay the price of the distortion of the Iranian national flag by the country’s soccer federation website.
Dehqan made the remarks in reaction to a measure by the US Soccer Federation website, which had published the Iranian national flag without the emblem of Allah in its center.
Iranian Football Federation has lodged a lawsuit with FIFA calling on the international football federation to investigate the issue.
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