Ahead of the United States men’s national team’s pivotal group stage finale against Iran, team captain Tyler Adams faced a potentially uncomfortable interaction with an Iranian reporter at a pre-match press conference.
After being informed that he was pronouncing “Iran” incorrectly, Adams was asked about his feelings toward discrimination against Black people in America. The 23-year-old midfielder drew upon his experience living abroad in his composed response.
“My apologies on the mispronunciation of your country. That being said, there’s discrimination everywhere you go,” Adams said. “One thing that I’ve learned, especially from living abroad in the past years and having to fit in in different cultures, is that in the U.