Ask ‘Not’ What U.S. Soccer Can Do for You

Re Mike Penner’s story June 22. Was Mr. Penner watching the same soccer game as the rest of the world? The patronizing tone of his article made it sound like the American team let the Iranians win the match out of “an overabundance of Yankee generosity.” He also referred to the Iranian team as “one of the least regarded teams.” I have to ask, least regarded by whom?

Had Mr. Penner done some basic research, he would have found out that soccer is Iran’s national pastime, and its national team was always a force to be reckoned with until the revolution. Also, several of Iran’s players are members of various soccer teams in Germany, a country so respected for its soccer that they would have no reason to go all the way to Iran to sign anyone unless they were truly spectacular soccer athletes.

Furthermore, while Mr. Penner mentioned step by step the gestures of friendship and generosity offered to the Iranian soccer team by the American team, he did not make a single mention of the fact that the Iranian team gave the American team white flowers, a symbol of peace, at the start of the game.

Perhaps since this was one of the very first images shown on the network broadcast, all major and minor publications that I read mentioned it when reporting on the poignant sportsmanship of both teams. Yet Mr. Penner saw fit to only report on the positive gestures of the American team.

Mr. Penner’s portrayal of the American team as having given away the match, and false statement that they were defeated by a lowly regarded team, is also insulting to the U.S. players who gave their best and provided the audience with a memorable match.

GOLNAR MODJTAHEDI

Placentia