FARMERS BRANCH, Texas — Hassan Nazari was five years old in Iran when he first kicked a ball.
He realizes that early moment would completely change the trajectory of his life. Nazari is the founder of the Dallas Texans, a youth soccer club that has been in existence since 1993. But, before that, he was one of the youngest Iranians to sign a professional contract at 16 years old. He would go on to play on the national team for the 1976 Olympics and 1978 World Cup.
"I remember how happy I was and how nervous I was," Nazari recalls about the World Cup games in Argentina. In that year, they did not make it out of the group stage.
This week, his home country will play his new home to advance out of the World Cup group stage. The U.S. Men's National Team and the Iranian national team are set to face off Tuesday. But a game played within the lines has too many stories outside of them.
"Psychologically, Iranian players are a little more under pressure because they are dealing with so many things off the team," said Nazari.
The Iranian team is playing against the backdrop of human rights protests. Thousands of Iranians have taken to the streets after Mahsa Amini died while in the custody of Iran's morality police under charges of wearing inappropriate clothing.
Since then, an Iranian player who is not on the team has been arrested. Also, the U.S. Soccer Federation decidedly altered Iran's national flag on social media to show support for those protests.
Hassan says if you're playing in the World Cup, it's points over politics. He says while the protests should be acknowledged players should control what they can control.
He remembers having to play in a similar climate in the 1970s. He says the players need and will focus on the match and move on.
He expects a very tight match between USA and Iran. He expects Iran to play more conservatively to the USA which needs a win to advance. Iran can still advance with a draw.
WFAA asked Nazari which team he was rooting for Tuesday's match. He said, "As a soccer fan, I would like the better team to advance."