US coach sorry for flag furore ahead of Iran clash

United States coach Gregg Berhalter apologised on Monday for the furore triggered by a social media post depicting a modified version of Iran's flag as the two geopolitical foes prepared for their crunch World Cup showdown.

US Soccer sparked uproar over the weekend after posting an Iranian flag without its Allah symbol on the federation's social media feeds in what it said it was a gesture of solidarity with Iranian women protesters.

The posts were subsequently deleted in the wake of an outcry by the Iranian Football Federation, who lodged a complaint to FIFA demanding sanctions against the US team.

Berhalter told a press conference on Monday that the US players and coaching staff had been oblivious about the posts as he sought to calm tensions surrounding Tuesday's Group B game, where a place in the last 16 is at stake.

"Sometimes things are out of our control," Berhalter said. "We're not focused on those outside things and all we can do is apologise on behalf of the players and the staff, but it's not something that we were a part of.

"We had no idea what US Soccer put out. The staff, the players, we had no idea. For us our focus is on this match and I don't want to sound aloof, or we're not caring by saying that.

"Of course are thoughts are with the Iranian people, the whole country, and everyone. But our thoughts are only on this match."

The United States and Iran have been bitter ideological foes for more than 40 years, severing diplomatic relations in the wake of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Tuesday's clash is only the third time the two countries have met on the football field, and the stakes could not be higher.

A win for either side will see them advance to the knockout rounds while defeat will ensure elimination from