Iran overcomes its divisions for 90 minutes, then same old problems return

S occer unites. This is what we are told. It swoops in, majestic in the players’ grace, and gives a people – any people – a thing to rally around in good times and bad. It’s true, that does happen on occasion. But other times, as in Monday’s 2-2 draw between Iran and New Zealand here in southern California, the magic of this ridiculously simple game lies in its power to make one, or several, or several thousand, forget. Before the game, Iranians worldwide had been divided by decades of political and cultural difficulty and the Iran team were hamstrung by interrupted preparations for what should be the pinnacle of any players’ career. After the final whistle, those same divisions and problems still existed. Perhaps, in some cases, they had become worse. But then there were those glorious intervening minutes, featuring four goals and numerous big chances, crunching tackles and passionate play, in front of a heaving, heavily partisan crowd in the city with the largest Iranian expat population in the United States. You got the sense that most within the stadium’s confines, to say nothing of the millions watching, were given a welcome dose of temporary amnesia. Several hours before that point, though, those deep and bitter divisions running through the country’s diaspora were obvious around the perimeter of the stadium. In their shirts and accessories, fans heading inside declared which Iran they were there to support. …