People protest outside Los Angeles Stadium before the World Cup Group G football match between Iran and New Zealand in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Monday. AP-Yonhap
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Iran kicked off their World Cup in Los Angeles on Monday, drawing 2-2 with New Zealand in front of a crowd that consisted of both fans cheering them on and Iranian Americans waving symbols of protest against the Tehran government.
The run-up to the match had been one of extraordinary drama off the pitch, with the team playing on U.S. soil barely 24 hours after a peace deal was announced to end the war that began when the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in February.
The footballers had flown into the U.S. on Sunday from their training base in Tijuana, Mexico.
In Los Angeles — home to the biggest Iranian community outside Iran, many of whom fled the country after the Islamic Revolution — Iranian American football fans said they had been left torn between excitement at seeing the team on the world's biggest stage, anger at Tehran's crackdown on protesters and concern about Washington's bombing campaign.
