Iran overcomes its divisions for 90 minutes, then same old problems return

Iranian support in LA included supporters of past and present regimes, and opponents of both, but a match that captivated all could not dissolve troubles

Soccer unites. This is what we are told. It swoops in, majestic in the players’ grace, and gives a people – any people – a thing to rally around in good times and bad. And it’s true, that does happen on occasion. But other times, as in Monday’s 2-2 draw between Iran and New Zealand here in southern California, the magic of this ridiculously simple game lies in its power to make one, or several, or several thousand, forget.

Before the game, Iranian people worldwide had been divided by decades of political and cultural difficulty and the Iran team were hamstrung by interrupted preparations for what should be the pinnacle of any players’ career.

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