A country that wasn't even part of the tournament until recently nearly won it all at the 33rd edition of the Nations Cup.
After knocking on the door for three years, Iran was given an opportunity to be part of the popular three-day amateur summer soccer event that sees players representing their own or parents' country of birth. The Iranians outlasted Romania, Chile and Serbia in the first-ever Open Division wild card playoff and haven't looked back since.
They held their own to remain part of the main draw, finishing 1-2 in their debut and 1-1-1 a year later. They delivered a breakthrough performance in their third attempt that took them to Sunday's championship game, only to lose 2-1 in extra time to Germany.
The highly entertaining match featured terrific chances at both ends of the field with the Germans opening the scoring in the first 10 minutes of play. Despite missing star striker Miland Rahmati to a red card he received in 2-1 penalty kicks semi-final win over Canada, Iran rallied from the early deficit by carrying much of the play for the duration of the match.
They managed to equalized 15 minutes from full-time and only some outstanding work by the German goalkeeper Garth Lagasse, who was later named the tournament MVP, prevented the comeback from being complete. Germany ended the drama in the second 10-minute overtime half with a "golden goal" for their first Open Division title since 2002.
A 2-1 loss to Portugual on Friday night left Iran in a desperate mode for the remainder of the tournament. They responded to the challenge with an attacking flare that resulted in a 5-2 victory over Caribbean on Saturday, then a huge 4-3 win over defending champion Ireland on Sunday morning that clinched top spot in their group and a semifinal berth.
"It's fairly impressive to make it to the finals that quickly," said Nations Cup tournament president Jeff Wilson. "The biggest thing is they performed well enough to stay (in the main draw) and this year they took it further, specifically the upset of (defending champion) Ireland.
"It's unfortunate that they previous weren't able to get all their players together to be part of the tournament, but now they have the chance to showcase their ability and it's impressive."
Germany's run to the top of the podium began with a scoreless draw against England on Friday. It was followed by a 2-1 triumph over South America then a 3-1 win against Fiji to set the stage for for their 2-0 semi-final victory against Italy thanks to a pair of second half goals.
Iran's Meysam Solanti won the Golden Boot as the tournament's top scorer. Italy's John Poli won the top defender award.
The women's final followed a familiar script as Ireland blanked Canada 2-0. It marked the fifth consecutive year to the two sides have met in the final with Ireland winning back-to-back titles after Canada took the first three meetings. Overall, the two countries now hold four titles each. Ireland's Stephanie Tiebert was tournament MVP.
It was also a successful tournament for Scotland, winning the men's Over 30 and Over 38 titles.
The Over 30 championship game saw Scotland hold off a determined India side for a 1-0 victory and their second title in three years. Meanwhile, Scotland made it back-toback crowns in the Over 38 division with a 2-0 win over Germany. The Scottish roster once again featured reporter Allan Campbell showing the Richmond News can do more than provide coverage and sponsorship of the tournament.
Ireland took the Over 45 title with a 3-2 victory over Fiji in penalty kicks, while the Irish also won the inaugural Over 52 championship with a 2-1 victory against China, also being decided in PKs.
This division featured a number of players who participated in the inaugural Nations Cup back in 1979.
For the second straight year, the tournament was greeted with cooler than normal summer temperatures but this time the rain held off.
"It's probably better for the players we had a little bit of overcast," added Wilson. "We have a long history here and the players just want to keep coming back and being part of it which is great for us and the tournament's future."
