Vancouver Whitecaps right back Steven Beitashour was born in San Jose, Calif., but when it came time to declare his allegiance to a national team, his dream of playing in the World Cup led him to the country where his parents were born, Iran.
The decision eventually earned him a ticket to Brazil with Team Melli, and Beitashour says he “couldn’t be happier” with his choice. But the dream of playing on the world’s biggest stage, even after Iran opened up their World Cup on Monday with a 0-0 draw against Nigeria, still has yet to come true.
The game was disappointing in a number of ways – it was the first draw of the 2014 World Cup, after all – but one of the biggest talking points in the MLS Twittersphere in the aftermath was Beitashour’s exclusion from the action.
Team Melli play their next game on Saturday against Argentina, who opened Group F on Sunday with a 2-1 win over World Cup debutants Bosnia-Herzegovina.
