"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 as quoted by monitor.co.ug.
"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," the US manager added.
"We're soccer players and we're going to compete and they're going to compete and that's it," he noted.
"We win or we’re out of the World Cup, and that's going to be the focus of ours in preparing the team," Berhalter said.
"But most of all we will need to understand the intensity Iran’s going to bring. We're going to have to be up for it if we want a chance to advance," he pointed out.
The US is currently third in Group B with two points from two draws, trailing Iran in second, who reignited their campaign with a 2-0 win over Wales earlier Friday.
Iran’s national team defeated the American squad 2-1 at the 1998 World Cup.
As scheduled in the world cup, the two teams will battle face-to-face on the football pitch on November 29 in Doha.
AMK/PR
Your Comment