Most of the U.S. national soccer team players were in grade school–average age, 10–when Iranian militants seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and held those inside hostage for 444 days.
“I don’t want to sound young or anything . . .” midfielder Tab Ramos said. “Maybe Dooley would remember.”
Defender Thomas Dooley, at 37, might have been the only player mature enough to take much of an interest 19 years ago, but he was preoccupied with fighting his way up the ranks of German club soccer at the time.
That leaves coach Steve Sampson, 41.
“I watched it every night,” Sampson said, referring to the nightly television coverage that would later morph into “Nightline.”
“I think I can relate to it a lot more than the players can. Certainly, what happened to the hostages was devastating to them, and our hearts went out to them. But at some point you have to put those emotions aside. The two governments are trying to improve relations. I don’t want to make this a political issue.”
Sampson said he hasn’t tried to give any crash courses in history, either to inform or to motivate. “The Germany result was enough to get them on their way.”
Red scare: Five players hit with red cards Thursday learned their fate 24 hours later, notably French playmaker Zinedine Zidane, who took a two-game suspension, and Alfred Phiri of South Africa, who will miss three matches for elbowing a Danish player in the head.
The news aroused great interest in the U.S. camp.
“We’re perplexed, absolutely perplexed,” Sampson said.
“Immediately after our game (against Germany), FIFA made a statement to me saying there were two different instances in the game where German players deserved a red card for tackling from behind. They have gone from one extreme to another and this puts players in a difficult situation, where they now must guess what interpretation the referee will have.”
Players are trying to sort through the rabble.
“There is an obvious danger,” midfielder Cobi Jones said. “Our defenders are very professional and experienced so I don’t expect to see any on our side.”
Neutral zone: Joseph “Sepp” Blatter, president of FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, said it was “no accident” that the referee for Sunday’s U.S.-Iran match, Urs Deier, is from Switzerland. “Switzerland is the only country that has excellent diplomatic relations with both countries.” . . . Fans will not be allowed to bring signs or banners into the Stade Gerland in Lyon, a measure deemed necessary by FIFA security officials who have termed the match “high-risk” . . . U.S. forward Brian McBride, an Arlington Heights native, turned 26 Friday.
Quick exit: Dozens of rowdy Scottish soccer fans branded as troublemakers by French and Spanish police returned to Glasgow Saturday to jeers at the international airport.
Acting on a tip, French police stopped a bus at the Spanish border carrying the Scots as it headed for Bordeaux, where Scotland played Norway last week.
The Scottish fans were sent back to Salou in northeastern Spain, where disturbances later broke out. Three Scots were arrested outside a nightclub.
The Scottish fans, wearing sunglasses and scarves over their faces, hurried from the airport in cars and taxis. Several gave Nazi salutes.
There were no problems reported at the airport.
The fans returned on a charter plane carrying many vacationing families back home.
Kenneth Miller, 27, a social worker from Glasgow, said the Spanish airport was tense as the flight waited to be boarded.
“The atmosphere in the airport was, frankly, ugly,” he said. “These guys were drinking heavily and making a lot of noise and there were lots of families on holiday there.”
