Berhalter: USMNT played no part in Iran posts

AL-RAYYAN, Qatar -- United States manager Gregg Berhalter has said helium and his players had nary portion successful US Soccer Federation societal media posts that removed the cardinal image of Iran's flag, has apologized for them and has insisted that the absorption of his squad is connected the decisive Group B match.

The USSF yet took down the offending posts, but not earlier Iran filed a ailment with FIFA's morals committee. Berhalter added that his thoughts are with the Iranian people, galore of whom person engaged successful protests implicit the attraction of women aft the decease of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who had been detained by the country's morality police.

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"The players and the unit knew thing astir what was being posted," Berhalter said. "Sometimes things are retired of our control. We judge that it's going to beryllium a lucifer that the effect volition beryllium connected who puts much effort in, who executes amended connected the field. And we're not focused connected those extracurricular things. All we tin bash connected our behalf is apologize connected behalf of the players and the staff, but it's not thing that we are portion of.

"We had nary thought astir what US Soccer enactment retired -- the staff, the players had nary idea. And for us, our absorption is connected this match. I don't privation to dependable aloof oregon not caring by saying that, but the guys that worked truly hard for the past 4 years, we person 72 hours betwixt England and Iran, and we truly are conscionable focused connected however to get past Iran and [how] we tin spell to this knockout signifier of the tournament.

"Of course, our thoughts are with the Iranian radical ... the full country, the full team, everyone, but our absorption is connected this match."

The quality league took immoderate unexpected twists and turns, with Berhalter and skipper Tyler Adams asked astir favoritism successful the US, whether erstwhile US manager Jurgen Klinsmann was engaging successful "psychological warfare" against Iran with his comments astir the nation's culture, the antagonistic effects of ostentation successful the US, whether the federation is down the team, and whether they are alert that US citizens are allowed to question to Iran but not vice versa.

Adams was besides chided by an Iranian newsman for mispronouncing "Iran." Adams apologized earlier helium and Berhalter took the precocious crushed connected the different topics.

"Sport is thing that should bring radical together, bring countries together," Berhalter said. "When you look astatine the Olympics, to spot each those countries competing astatine the aforesaid time, is simply a fantastic event. The World Cup is precise similar, wherever radical travel from each astir the world. Fans travel from each astir the world, and you get to vie connected the field, arsenic brothers, truthful athletics does person the quality to bash that."

Asked astir favoritism successful the US, Adams said it is everywhere.

"It's a process," Adams said of combating discrimination. "I deliberation arsenic agelong arsenic you spot progress, that's the astir important thing."

As for the crippled itself, the US is facing a must-win concern portion Iran tin advancement with a draw.

"Make nary mistake astir it, this is simply a knockout crippled for some teams, truthful it's going to beryllium a high-level intensity," Berhalter said. "I emotion what Iran's done truthful far, particularly the past game. A batch of commitment, truly bully counterattacking, and we expect it to beryllium a hotly contested game."

Berhalter was besides asked astir allegations by erstwhile US planetary and Sirius XM broadcaster Eric Wynalda that the US manager lied to the media astir Giovanni Reyna's information aft helium did not diagnostic against Wales and that helium asked Reyna to prevarication arsenic well.

"I'll permission it to [the media] to determine if I asked Gio to prevarication astir it," Berhalter said. "That's conscionable not who I am. That's not what I represent. If you person to instrumentality Eric's connection oregon my connection oregon whatever, consciousness free, but I cognize what happened. That's not what I represent. And similar each different person, Gio is simply a subordinate of this squad that we attraction profoundly for, and we cognize helium tin assistance the team. It's a substance of erstwhile helium tin assistance america and however helium tin assistance us."

Berhalter was besides asked astir his cardinal strikers' performance, and whether Reyna mightiness beryllium an alternative. Berhalter said that Josh Sargent and Haji Wright "have done a decent occupation for us" and said it was up to their teammates to springiness them amended service.

He added: "I deliberation successful presumption of alternatives astatine the striker position, we're comfy with the 3 that we have. We haven't needfully thought astir putting Gio determination oregon Christian [Pulisic] determination oregon Timmy Weah determination oregon Jordan Morris there. We've been much focused connected the 3 that we person successful camp."