Whitecap revels in World Cup experience
Fullback Steven Beitashour of the Vancouver Whitecaps is in Sao Paulo, Brazil, preparing for Iran’s opening game of the World Cup on Monday against Nigeria.
Born in California to Iranian immigrants, Beitashour, 27, made his debut for Iran last October in an Asian Cup qualifier.
He took time out from a busy training schedule on Thursday to speak to reporters in Vancouver via conference call: Q Argentina is the favourite in Group F, with Nigeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Iran in a battle for the second spot. That makes the first game very important doesn’t it?
A Yeah, I definitely think Argentina is the favourite. They do deserve it. They’ve been a great team and it’s not just hype for nothing. The second spot out of our group is up for grabs and you’ve got three hungry teams trying to take it.
Q Do you know yet whether you’re going to be in the starting lineup for that first game? A We don’t know yet. I’m just trying to work hard every day. Q ( England star) Wayne Rooney made comments the other day that he didn’t enjoy his first two World Cups and that for this one he just wants to have fun. You’re in your first one, how do you balance taking it all in, making sure you enjoy it and soak it all up?
A To be honest, I don’t know. I don’t know what I should be expecting. I’ve got a job to do and I want to do it to the best of my ability.
Q We’ve read about the plush accommodations of some of the bigger countries, but that Iran is in an airport hotel in a gritty area of town. Can you give us a description of your training field and where you’re staying?
A I thought our hotel was really nice, to be honest. We have a training facility at the Corinthians ( club) centre and it’s really nice. ( Former Brazilian star) Ronaldo had it renovated and it’s beautiful. It’s real big, a ton of fields and a gaming area with a pool table, Ping- Pong, a nice TV.
Q There was a New York Times story today that there are few signs of excitement in Tehran and that only 3,000 people showed up for the national team sendoff, far less than the expected 12,000.
A We went to the stadium ( for the sendoff) and I thought it was great. There were a lot of people there and they’re excited and ready for the World Cup to start. A lot of Iranians are coming to Brazil to watch the games. Q We haven’t seen much of the Iran team. What kind of team are you? A What, you haven’t seen the Iranian national team?! We’re a good team, real organized defensively. When you look at other teams and you look at individual players, they definitely have superstars. I don’t know if we have superstars, but we’re a team. Our camaraderie is building and if we can take that to the first game and build momentum, I have pretty good faith in ourselves.