Rewritten: Biden expresses admiration for USA soccer victory against Iran: ‘They achieved it, bless their hearts’

President Joe Biden surprised the crowd gathered at the SK Siltron CSS microchip factory in Bay City, Michigan by returning to the lectern to announce some good news. After picking up the handheld microphone he’d set down earlier, he celebrated the US men’s soccer team’s 1-0 victory over Iran in a game that took place in Qatar. He exclaimed, “The US one, Iran zero! The game’s over!” The crowd cheered, chanting “USA! USA!” He recounted how the players and national team coach Gregg Berhalter had shown a lackluster response when he spoke to them earlier this week before the US opened group play at the World Cup in Qatar. He lauded their victory and said, “They did it, God love ’em”. This win was crucial for the US team to advance into the round of 16 from their place in the Group B standings behind England. Christian Pulisic, the US captain, scored the only goal, but he left the pitch after sustaining an injury from a collision with the Iranian goaltender. The must-win game between the two teams followed a series of clashes. Iranian state media reporters had challenged Mr. Berhalter about US military posture in the Middle East at a pre-match press conference. His counterpart, Carlos Queiroz, had taken a potshot at the US by making a statement about human rights, racism, and school shootings. The US soccer federation also almost faced exclusion from the tournament as they had removed the Islamic Republic emblem from the Iranian flag in a social media post to show support for the women in Iran fighting for basic human rights. This result was a reversal of the last time Iran and US met at the World Cup in 1998, where Iran won 2-1.