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How an Oklahoman is scoring goals in Iran

A woman from Tulsa, Oklahoma, has emerged as an unlikely mover and shaker in Iranian women’s soccer.
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Teenage Iranian girls, in conservative soccer uniforms, screamed for joy and chanted, “Iran! Iran!” The video of the country’s under-19 national team was posted in an Instagram story March 21 by Iranian-American coach Katayoun “Kat” Khosrowyar, after Iran beat Romania 2-1 at the 2018 Kuban Spring Tournament.

Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Kat first visited Iran during the summer of 2005, right before her senior year of high school. At the time, Kat was being scouted to play soccer at the collegiate level. But three days before her flight back to the United States, the head coach of post-revolutionary Iran’s first women’s national team discovered Kat while she trained at a local gym. This marked the beginning of her journey.

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