Tag: Vancouver Whitecaps

The forgotten men : Steven ‘Mehrdad’ Beitashour

 Carlos Queiroz was globetrotting looking for dual citizenship players or those with Iranian ancestry to pick them for Team Melli.  in his quest , he managed to find a player who was a long way from Iran. Steven’ Mehrdad ‘ Beitashour , playing for San Jose Earthquake at the time,  was one of these players attracting the attention of  the Portuguese coach.

Mehrdad Beitashour

INTERNATIONAL

A dual American-Iranian citizen, Beitashour chose to represent Iran after being approached by Queiroz, when he was called into camp for 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification. He made his debut in Iran’s 2-1 win over Thailand, coming on as a 76th minute substitute for Hossein Mahini. He made his first start and recorded his first assist for Iran in the ensuing match, again against Thailand, a 3-0 victory that ensured their qualification to the 2015 AFC Asian Cup. Beitashour then went on to start the next match as well, a 4-1 victory over Lebanon. Prior to committing to Iran, Beitashour had been called into one camp with the United States men’s national team, getting the call from head coach Jurgen Klinsmann in August of 201

The American-Iranian also made the squad to the FIFA World Cup 2014 in Brazil, however he was not picked to start any match nor was he used as a substitute.

From then on , Beitashour went into oblivion with Team Melli. Not selected for any matches , not that there were many and not considered for the finals of the Asian Cup 2015. Whether he will be available again to play for Iran in the future, is debatable.

So , what went wrong?

The major problem with selecting Beitashour was the logistics. Selecting a player who resides and makes his living on the other side of the world is a logistical nightmare under any circumstances. The only practical time that a player can join a squad is during major tournaments such as the World Cup , once every 4 years. Under other circumstances or during FIFA days, a trip from USA to Iran and back within 3 or 4 days is simply a nightmare.

Logistics aside, Beitashour had a very tough player and established veteran to compete with in Team Melli. AT the time, Khosro Heydari was one of the best performers in the team while Hossein Mahini was closely challenging for recognition as a fix starter. Apart from these two , several younger defenders were raring to go. Beotashour’s position was looking shaky and his value for the team beginning to be questioned.

Mehrdad Beitashour

Overall, Beitashour never really established himself in the team with the logistics problem and the tough competition around.  In total , he made 6 appearances for Team Melli half of it only as a starter. At 27 Years old, he has still a long way to go in his football career, whether any of it will be with Team Melli is another argument. At the present moment and with the Team in Australia without Beitashour , the Vancouver Whitecaps defender may find it difficult to make the Team Melli squad anytime soon before the next World Cup. Beitashour is still a quality player as he has shown with his club in the MSL where he made 27 appearances for the Canadian outfit. He was also included in the “Protected Players”  list , which indicates that his team is not willing to let him go or transfer to another club.

Whitecap Beitashour soaking up the World Cup experience

Nerves, excitement, joy hit Whitecap Steven Beitashour playing for Iran as he flies into Brazil

BY MARC WEBER, THE PROVINCE JUNE 12, 2014
Whitecap Beitashour soaking up the World Cup experience

Steven Beitashour is the lone Whitecap playing in the World Cup, as the right-back is suiting up for Iran in Brazil. — 

Photograph by: SAMUEL KUBANI , AFP/Getty Images

It all hit Steven Beitashour as he was about to land in Brazil.

He looked out the airplane window and saw the host country. And whatever indescribable things one feels before a first FIFA World Cup — excitement, nerves, a sense of history, the joy and weight of the unknown — he felt it all.

“I’ll never forget that,” he said on Thursday conference call.

And since those first tingles, the Vancouver Whitecaps right-back, an Iranian-American born and raised in San Jose, Calif., has been all business, which is business as usual for Beitashour.

He hardly wanted to talk about the World Cup before he left the Whitecaps to join Iran, out of respect for the MLS club’s season and his own desire to remain in the moment.

He’s the kind of guy who apologizes in advance for clichés and then talks about taking things one day at a time.

Asked how he’ll balance a desire to enjoy this experience, to soak it in, as well as focus on the task at hand, he said: “I don’t know because it’s my first one. I don’t know if I’m having too much fun or not enough. Right now I have a job to do and I want to do it to the best of my abilities.”

But he certainly sounded light and upbeat and anxious to kick off.

First up is Nigeria on Monday (noon), a match that, at least based on FIFA rankings, represents Iran’s best hope for getting out of Group F, which looks to be a walk in the park for Argentina.

Iran is ranked 43rd, one spot ahead of Nigeria, which has a far richer World Cup history, having made the round of 16 in 1994 and 1998.

Iran’s been to three World Cups, the last being Germany in 2006, but they’ve never made it out of their group.

Their lone World Cup match victory was at least a famous one, over the U.S. at France ’98.

World Cup debutantes Bosnia-Herzegovina, ranked 21st, are favoured to finish second behind the powerful Argentines in Iran’s group, but Beitashour believes the race is wide open.

“Argentina’s the favourite. They deserve it,” he said. “The second spot out of our group is up for grabs. We’ve got three hungry teams and that’s why it’s so important, that first game, to start on the right foot.”

For Iran that means defending as a team: organized, patient, hard-working, constantly closing down space.

They had 10 shutouts in qualifying, the most of any team in Brazil.

Beitashour, brought into coach Carlos Queiroz’s side after a brief flirtation with the U.S. squad, said he doesn’t know if he’ll start in the opener.

His wife Karlie, his Iranian-born parents, Edward and Pari, his siblings and cousins, will all be there for the games. He’s expecting big support from Iranians in Brazil, too.

“All the guys on the team say, ‘You’ll be shocked to see how many Iranians show up,’” he said. “I’m excited for it.”