Todd Bamford is a special reporter for HartfordHawks.com. He will periodically be providing feature stories about Hartford Hawks student-athletes, coaches and fans. Click Here for an archive of previous feature stories by Todd Bamford. 

Editor's Note: The Iranian National Men's Soccer Team returns to World Cup Play on Saturday with their second match in Group F against Argentina. Kick off against Argentina is scheduled for 12 p.m. and can be seen live on ESPN. Iran closed out its World Cup opener against Nigeria in a 0-0 stalemate.

With thousands of American soccer fans traveling to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, there is one U.S. citizen with a unique perspective on the event and a life spent playing and coaching the game. Dan Gaspar, formerly the head men's soccer coach at the University of Hartford, 2005-10, is serving as the goalkeeper coach for the Iranian national team.

Gaspar's soccer journey is an unlikely one.  Born and raised in South Glastonbury, Conn., he has coached on four different continents with teams from the United States, Portugal, South Africa, Gabon, England, Canada, Germany, Australia, Japan, and now, Iran. This is his second time coaching in the World Cup.

"My life and passion is and continues to be the game of soccer. I have been fortunate to work with youth level to world-class players of all genders on four different continents," said Gaspar.

Gaspar, 57, graduated from the University of Hartford in 1978. He was an All-East Senior Bowl goalkeeper for the Hawks in his senior season. Gaspar began coaching in the 1970s in the amateur soccer leagues in Connecticut. From there, he went on to several roles in Portugal – he has dual Portugese-American citizenship and is multilingual – before returning in 1996 for a stint on the staff of the New York Metro Stars, where the team reached the MLS playoffs. 

While he has gone on to establish himself as a top-flight coach working with professional players, Gaspar is especially well known as a world-class goalkeeping coach.

"Dan has worked closely with me for years," said Carlos Queiroz, the Iranian team's head coach. "Without a doubt he has become the most experienced coach of any American working at the professional level."

Gaspar's unusual path to Iran came through his work with Queiroz when they coached the Portugese team at the 2010 South Africa World Cup. That represented Gaspar's first World Cup experience. When Queiroz left Portugal in 2011 to became the Iranian team's coach, Gaspar followed him. Gaspar has lived in Iran for the last three years preparing to coach in a second World Cup.

"It's been a fantastic experience these last three years in Iran," said Gaspar. "Professionally, it was an opportunity to work in a different part of the world. I've always been adventurous from a football and cultural standpoint."

Gaspar serves as the goal keeping coach for the Iranian team.  He is part of the most diverse coaching staff in the World Cup, featuring coaches from the United States, Australia, Mozambique, Cape Verde and Portugal's Queiroz. As someone who has spent his life in soccer, Gaspar knows how fortunate he is to be a part of a second World Cup.

"The World Cup is the ultimate achievement. It's the greatest sporting event on the planet," said Gaspar. "To be able to participate is a privilege and an honor."

Gaspar also notes the differences between being a fan at the World Cup and having important coaching responsibilities. He knows that spectators in Brazil will have an opportunity to enjoy the World Cup spirit and atmosphere without the pressure to win a match. Coaches and players must focus exclusively on their tasks and responsibilities.

"I think I'll only really be able to appreciate this event when it's done," said Gaspar. "Despite the challenges, I would not trade my seat with a spectator. I know how fortunate and blessed that I am to have this experience."

Gaspar, a 2002 inductee into the University of Hartford's Athletic Hall of Fame, would eventually like to return to his roots in Connecticut.

"I have many fond memories of the past years I spent working in the Connecticut soccer community and at the University of Hartford," he says. "Coming home would allow me to fulfill another lifelong dream of returning from overseas to my home so that I am able to share my unique experiences and knowledge, and help develop and define a true American and soccer culture,"

"I have always felt during my international travels that I served as a soccer ambassador for my home state of Connecticut." he says. "Soccer has given me the opportunity to meet many wonderful people around the world. These fantastic experiences will be memories that will last a lifetime."