"Beitashour emerging as offensive threat for Quakes" (SJEarthquakes.com - Wednesday, 8/10/11) GO SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES!!! -G
Yes, Steven is eligible for the Iranian Nats, and I think it would be his first choice. If he plays like Azizi did for the Iranian Nats, I'd be cool with it. Ya think?! Note: The President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is a dick for certain, but he's also not actually the rule of Iran in the sense that our president is ruler of the USA. (No comments from you Beerking!) President of Iran is a largely ceremonial post without a lot of power, more like the president of Israel or France, but with less political muscle. It's the Ayatollah who hold all the power. The elected official don't really have that much power. GOOOOOOO QUAAAAAAAKES!!!!!!! Fire Frank and JD!! FUAEG!!! - Mark
"Q&A: Getting to know Steven Beitashour" (SJEarthquakes.com - Wednesday, 8/24/11) GO SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES!!! -G
That was a neat article, I appreciated getting to know his history growing up in the area and his Persian/Syrian heritage. A Christian father and Muslim mother, I don't know how that worked out! But glad he's developing as a RB, he's become a better option there than Leitch or Ward.
Interesting that some of the young players that work out the best for the Quakes are the ones with local ties who flew under the radar at a national level. I don't think Wondo or Beta were invited to the MLS Combine. Wondo was a supplemental draft pick from Chico State and Beta was a "who?" MLS superdraft pick IIRC, and a guy who didn't seem to have a very distinguished college career. Baca could be another one, though his ties aren't quite as local and I think the jury is still out on how valuable a player he will be for the Quakes. And I think he was better known nationally. You could also add BMac to the list, but sadly he's no longer a Quake.
Bud, Steven is Assyrian. It's a very different thing from being Syrian, even though they sound very similar. Sorry, that's the history teacher in be being a weasel. But we do want to get these things right. Taking a Syrian flag to the games to support him would probably be the wrong move. Wow, a little research tells me that I don't know what flag would be best. An Iranian flag would work, but I see three on the Wikipedia page. We'd have to ask Steven to be a bit more specific about where his dad is from, and exactly which part of the Assyrian people he belongs too. But this is a cool flag. No idea where to buy one though! <<Edit: I take that back. Everything is on eBay right?!>> GOOOOOOO QUAAAAAAKES!!!!!!! GOOOOOOO STEEEEEEVEN!!!! - Mark
Mark, the original article yesterday said Syrian, the corrected copy now says Assyrian. Our 2008 SSVCF Inaugural Dinner was held at the Assyrian Temple in San Jose. Steven's father was at one time an officer in a State-wide Assyrian organization.
Ah well damn! I bite my tongue. I didn't read the article when it first went up, because I'm a busy boy. Sorry about that. And thanks! Cool flag too, eh? GO QUAKES!! GO STEVEN!! - Mark
Follow the link in my post, or go to Wikipedia and look up Assyrian People. It's a really long article, but very interesting. FUAEG and I met one of Steven's uncles after a Quakes game. We were outside The Hut and had pleasant chat with him for several minutes. Pretty funny. In any case, it's great to see that Beta has become an important member of the team. I am very pleased, both a local guy making good, and because it shows that the draft is valuable and that we have been drafting well. GO QUAKES!! GO STEVEN!! - Mark
Oh yeah...I forgot he was at that game. Probably didn't set the best first impression. Though if he went to a Quakes game at Buck Shaw and witnessed his wingback ability, hopefully it might of changed his mind.
I think he has a shot with the US at maybe Camp Cupcake or something. With Cherundolo and Chandler already at RB though there's not much room (not to mention Lichaj and Spector).
Steve's both parents are Iranian. His dad is an ethnic Assyrian, and his mom is an ethnic Persian, both from Iran.
Playing for your motherland is treason now? Treason or not, he will most likely play for Team Melli in the final round of the WC qualifying. Carlos Queiroz and António Simões have been observing him, Ashkan Dejagah, Agil Etemadi, and Reza Ghoochannejhad, and a few other expat Iranians for some time now, in order to give them a trial for Team Melli. Of those players being scouted outside Iran, Dejagah and Beitashour are the most likely candidates to make the short cut.
A Persian friend of mine who played for the WSA Quakes in 1988 told me if he or his family go back to Iran, they will be arrested and tried for treason. They had escaped right before the revolution in 1976 and never went back. A little sad they can no longer see or visit their homeland.
Oran's Dictionary of the Law (1983) defines treason as "...[a]...citizen's actions to help a foreign government overthrow, make war against, or seriously injure the [parent nation]." In many nations, it is also often considered treason to attempt or conspire to overthrow the government, even if no foreign country is aided or involved by such an endeavour. How does playing for a soccer team equate to any of the above? Please take this BS to a political thread...
I just used google and came up with this, "violation or betrayal of the allegiance that a person owes his sovereign or his country" WHOA!!!!
And exactly what does playing for a team have to do with allegiance? Lots of US-born athletes have played for, been on Olympic teams of, many other countries, and nobody's ever brought that up until you. WHOA!!!!