Jan. 5, 2016
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State men’s soccer alum Steven Beitashour has been named Major League Soccer’s (MLS) best right back, Soccer America announced in its annual MLS positional rankings.
Beitashour, who was recently traded to Toronto FC, started all 27 games for the Vancouver Whitecaps in his sixth professional season. Last season, he helped Vancouver limit its opponents to just 36 goals in 2015, tied atop the league with Seattle, while tallying five assists.
Since embarking on his MLS career in 2010 with his hometown club, the San Jose Earthquakes, Beitashour has started 144 of his 145 appearances, notching a league-best 24 assists in the most recent five seasons. His five-year turn in San Jose included a nod as a league all-star in 2012, before he was traded to the Whitecaps in 2014. Beitashour’s international experience includes six caps since 2013 with the Iranian National Team, including a roster spot at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
A four-year letterwinner while on Montezuma Mesa from 2005 to 2009, Beitashour, the No. 30 selection in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft, represents the highest draft pick in San Diego State men's soccer history. He earned All-Pac-10 accolades his senior year, helping the Aztecs to four wins over nationally ranked opponents, while adding a career-high tying three assists that season. Beitashour also shined in the classroom, named to the 2009 Pac-10 All-Academic Team as an honorable mention selection. Over his career, Beitashour had eight assists and took 33 shots.