According to the Daily Wire, after scolding team captain Tyler Adams for mispronouncing his country’s name in a pre-game press conference, the reporter asked if Adams, as a biracial man, was comfortable representing a country where racial discrimination occurs.
Adams rose to the occasion and, rather than say anything derogatory about his country, he said there was discrimination everywhere, adding, “One thing that I’ve learned, especially from living abroad in the past years and having to fit in different cultures, is that in the U.S., we’re continuing to make progress every single day.”
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The 23-year-old athlete thanked the reporter for educating him on the pronunciation of Iran after saying, “I grew up in a white family, with obviously an African-American heritage and background as well. I had a little bit of a different culture, and I was very easily able to assimilate in different cultures, so not everyone has that ease and the ability to do that.”
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He then said, “Obviously, it takes longest to understand and, through education, I think, is super important. Like, you just educated me now on the pronunciation of your country. It’s a process. I think as long as you see progress, that’s the important thing.”
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The Iranian reporter’s questions came just one day before the American team would go against Iran in what The18.com calls “a must-win Group B clash.” Questions posed to Adams and head coach Gregg Berhalter included racism, political tensions, and other topics better suited for a White House press conference than among athletes trying to win the World Cup.
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The reporter’s questions could be construed as an attempt to distract the American team from the task at hand. But, the tactic did not appear to rattle either the head coach or captain. After the interview, Ben Jacobs tweeted that Adams’ response to the Iranian journalist was a “brilliantly-handled response” that showed why he is the USMNT captain.
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