The group stage match between the United States and Iran at the 1998 World Cup remains one of the most ignominious defeats in the history of the US men’s national team program.
The game was fraught with long-building political overtones. Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini had previously referred to the US as “the Great Satan,” and the match came 18 years after 52 Americans were taken hostage by supporters of the Iranian revolution and held for 444 days before finally being released.
Yet it figured to be a game that the US would win. At the time, the Americans were ranked 11th in FIFA’s world rankings while Iran were No. 42, and while the US team’s position seemed inflated, the match was seen as pivotal to the Americans’ hopes of advancing to the knockout rounds.
Instead, the US not only lost the match 2-1 but their entire World Cup effort unraveled. The defeat eliminated the US from the tournament and players went to the press to air their complaints about US manager Steve Sampson, accusing him of mismanaging the team on a multitude of levels.
Midfielder Tab Ramos told the Seattle Times: “This whole World Cup was a mess. If I had to blame people, I’d blame the coaches.”
