Premium: The Young Americans

On a night of powerful emotions and images, the USMNT beat Iran to advance to the World Cup knockout rounds and continued winning new fans inside and outside the United States.

U.S. star Christian Pulisic sacrificed his body to score the game-winning goal and ended up in the hospital. He says he’ll be ready for Saturday’s Round of 16 game against the Netherlands (Artwork by Dan Leydon for GrantWahl.com)

DOHA, Qatar — World Cup elimination games produce moments and images that resonate with the most soul-stirring parts of our humanity. And when the United States is involved, they create untold numbers of new American soccer fans and memories that remain forever burned into our collective emotional hard drive. 

You didn’t even have to be a soccer supporter to feel all those things about the U.S.’s heart-stopping 1-0 win over Iran on Tuesday, a victory that rewarded a young American team becoming globally known before our eyes, that honored a brave group of Iranian players and set up a Round of 16 showdown for the U.S. against the Netherlands on Saturday.

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