On a side field at Corinthians' training complex on the eastern edge of South America's biggest city, the sun was setting and the shadows were growing long as Dan Gaspar worked with goalkeepers on saving close-range shots.

据美联社6月13日报道，在位于南美洲最大城市圣保罗东部的科林蒂安体育场（Corinthians）一隅，加斯帕尔（Dan Gaspar）指导门将练习近射的身影在阳光的照耀下越拉越长。

The 58-year-old from Connecticut is at the World Cup, soccer's pinnacle. But for the most part, his players speak Farsi, not English.

来自美国康乃迪克州（Connecticut），现年58岁的美国教练加斯帕尔正在世界杯赛场上。不过大部分时候，他的队员们都说波斯语而非英语。

Gaspar is in his third season as goalkeepers coach of Iran, which opens Monday against Nigeria.

这是加斯帕尔任伊朗队门将教练的第三个赛季。伊朗将于周一（16日）对阵尼日利亚。

''I believe they find me more interesting. In three-plus years working in Iran, I have never have had any issues as a result of my nationality, Portuguese-American,'' he said. ''I have been impressed by the Iranian hospitality and kindness.''

“我知道他们看出我身上有趣的品质。在执教伊朗这三年多来，从未因为我是葡萄牙裔的美国人给队里造成困扰，”他说。“伊朗人的热情善良感染了我。”

Gaspar was coach at the University of Hartford from 2005-11, leading the Hawks to 36 wins, 46 losses and 21 ties and finishing no higher than third in the America East Conference. That stretch interrupted a longtime career as an assistant to Carlos Queiroz, the Mozambique-born Portuguese.

加斯帕尔于2005至2011年间在哈特福德大学（University of Hartford from）足球队任教，带领鹰队（Hawks）取得36胜，46负、21平局的战绩，未进入美东联盟（America East Conference）前三甲。直到后来，加斯帕尔来到卡洛斯·奎罗斯（Carlos Queiroz），这位出生在莫桑比克的西班牙人身边担任助教。

The pair worked together with Portuguese soccer's governing body starting in 1993, then moved on together to Sporting Lisbon, Major League Soccer's New York-New Jersey MetroStars and Japan's Nagoya Grampus Eight. Gaspar was goalkeeper consultant when Queiroz coached South Africa during qualifying for the 2002 World Cup and worked for Portugal's national team under both Queiroz and Luiz Felipe Scolari, currently in his second stint as Brazil's coach.

自1993年起，加斯帕尔与奎罗斯共同在葡萄牙足协工作，又先后赴里斯本竞技队（Sporting Lisbon），美国职业足球大联盟（Major League Soccer）的纽约-新泽西都市之星队（MetroStars）以及日本名古屋八鲸队（Nagoya Grampus Eight）任教。卡洛斯在2002年世界杯资格赛中担任南非主帅，加斯帕尔则任守门员顾问。此后，加斯帕尔又在卡洛斯以及现巴西队主帅的斯科拉里（Luiz Felipe Scolari）手下执教葡萄牙国家队。

Gaspar also assisted Queiroz in 1998 when he was commissioned by the U.S. Soccer Federation to write the Project 2010 report suggesting how the sport should be developed in America. Gaspar provided Queiroz with much of the background on soccer's growth in America.

1998年，奎罗斯受美国足联之托，针对足球该如何在美国发展撰写一份报告，加斯帕尔伸出援手，为他提供了大量美国足球发展史的背景材料。

Gaspar says he learned from Queiroz's ''demanding and obsessive'' attention to details, and the pair have ''unconditional trust.'' When Queiroz was hired by Iran in April 2011, Gaspar followed.

加斯帕尔表示自己从奎罗斯身上学到了处理细节问题时“审慎严苛追求极致”的态度。他们是一对“无条件互信”的好搭档。2011年4月，卡洛斯受聘于伊朗队，加斯帕尔也一同前往。

''I am who I am professionally as a result of the opportunities that coach Queiroz has given me,'' Gaspar said. ''There are times we don't need to speak because after so many experiences we understand each other so well. When I first had the opportunity to work with him, it was a rude awakening to the world of the winning business. I came from the U.S. environment, where in most cases it was about the business of soccer. The business of soccer and the business of winning are two completely different mentalities.''

“正是他为我带来的那些机会造就了今天的我，”加斯帕尔说道。“很多时候我们甚至不需要开口，毕竟共同经历了那么多，我们太了解对方了。我第一次与卡洛斯共事时感到如梦初醒，那一刻我才真正领悟到足球比赛的内涵。因为在我们美国人只是踢足球而已。事实上，踢足球和赢得比赛是截然不同的两个概念。”

Gaspar has made four to five trips annually to Tehran, flying from New York with layovers in either Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Frankfurt, Germany; or Istanbul.

加斯帕尔每年去德黑兰四到五次，从美国起飞，途经阿拉伯联合酋长国的迪拜，德国法兰克福或是伊斯坦布尔时稍作停留。

Gaspar is deferential to his boss. He wanted to check first whether he should go ahead with an interview. Gaspar preferred to exchange questions and answers by email rather than talking at Iran's practice field.

加斯帕尔对上级毕恭毕敬。他想先确认是否该继续采访。他更希望以电邮的方式进行访谈，而不是此刻在伊朗队的练习场上。

He said cultural differences have taken time to learn as he's commuted from the northeast U.S. to the Middle East. In Iran, a thumbs up is interpreted as the equivalent of a raised middle finger in other parts of the world.

他说从美国东北部来到中东，期间的文化差异是需要花时间去适应的。在伊朗，竖大拇指等同于其他地方的竖中指。

Iran's staff also includes people from Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Brazil, Cape Verde Islands and Finland.

伊朗队有来自阿根廷、亚美尼亚、澳大利亚、巴西、佛得角群岛以及芬兰的球员。

''We have a good translator who is with us and mirrors our statements and actions well. But even when someone delivers instructions in the same language on behalf of the technical staff member, the message may lose its precise meaning,'' Gaspar said. ''You need to be patient in order to be effective. Also, it's difficult for someone to deliver your message with the same emotions, and the timing is crucial as well. It's not just translating word for word, it's also important for a translator to be knowledgeable about the soccer terminology.''

“我们的随队翻译很厉害，能够把我们想表达的东西传递得很清楚。但即使是用同种语言布置战术，意思也可能产生偏差，”加斯帕尔说道。“务必要有耐心才能高效行事。让别人用一模一样的情感传达你的意思真心很难，而且时机也至关重要。对译员来说，不仅要直译，更要熟悉各种足球术语。”

He can converse easily with defender Steven Beitashour, who is from San Jose, California, and plays for MLS's Vancouver Whitecaps. Beitashour, whose parents are from Iran, attended U.S. national team training camps in August 2012 and the following January but never got into a game.

面对来自加州圣何塞，在美国职业足球大联盟中效力于温哥华白帽队的后卫斯蒂芬·贝塔绍尔(Steven Beitashour)，加斯帕尔与其沟通得很顺畅。父母来自伊朗的贝塔绍尔于2012年8月加入美国国家队集训营，不过直到次年1月，也没能获得上场机会。

A 2,000-1 shot to win the World Cup, Iran also has first-round games against Argentina and Bosnia-Herzegovina. After the World Cup, the future is unclear.

世界杯上，伊朗队夺冠概率微乎其微，仅为2000比1。他们将将迎战阿根廷与波黑队。世界杯之后，未来仍是个未知数。

Gaspar trained Tim Howard and Nick Rimando, two of the American World Cup goalkeepers, when they were with the U.S. under-17 team in 1995. He'd like to get another opportunity on home soil.

1995年，当霍华德（Tim Howard）与尼克·里曼多（Nick Rimando）这两位曾参加过美洲杯的门将还在美国17岁以下足球队的时候，加斯帕尔就当过他们的教练。他渴望在家门口得到另一个机会。

''This would allow me to fulfill another lifelong dream, that of returning to the United States and my home from overseas,'' he said, ''so that I am able to share my unique experiences and knowledge, and help develop and define further a true American soccer culture. I always believed this was my destiny.''

“本届世界杯让我有机会实现另一个毕生的梦想，那就是从国外回到我的故乡美国，”他说，“这样就能分享我独到的经历与才华，帮助推动足球在美国的发展。这一直都是我的使命。

（译者 拉风_悦 编辑 齐磊）