July 29, 2007. 

The day I learned that soccer is more than a sport. I was 12 years old, living in Baghdad, and I’d never lived anywhere else. We had it better than others, but my childhood was not necessarily pleasant. I always had food on the table and clean clothes to wear, but my memories still revolve around a dictator, foreign invasions, and terrorist attacks. 

This is the story of 40 million Iraqis, including the national soccer team. 

In the summer of 2007, the Lions of Mesopotamia were gearing up for the Asian Cup, our continent’s biggest competition. It’s impossible to list all the obstacles they faced. They were unable to play at home, the physio of the team was killed two days before the tournament, and head coach Jorvan Vieira only had two months with the squad. The list goes on. To say Iraq was an underdog is a massive understatement. However, the mission was far more important than soccer: to unite a nation. The streets of Baghdad were empty during the games; everyone wanted to watch. With every round, more of us believed. Iraq made it to the final, and Younis Mahmoud scored the only goal to give Iraq the trophy.

What followed was unparalleled joy across the country. Amid the chaos, we finally had something to celebrate. The violence and the civil war paused, and people felt united. For the first time in my memory, I saw my people celebrating hand in hand, regardless of religion or ethnicity. 

A few months later, we left. We were refugees, and we ultimately settled in Nashville, Tennessee. Over the years, I’ve tried to balance being an Iraqi-American. It’s often hard to feel both simultaneously; it’s usually one or the other. I’ve been away from home for almost two decades, and it’s the national team that connects me to my people.

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