Sports stats

MLS Colorado Rapids

"Don't Ever Take It for Granted": Steven Beitashour on his 14th Season in MLS and Being a Veteran Leader for the Rapids

March 9, 2023 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Colorado Rapids News Release


As the Rapids prepare to take on San Jose this weekend, we sat down with MLS veteran Steven Bietashour about his journey in the league since being drafted by the Earthquakes in 2010.

This is your fourteenth season in MLS; what's one of the biggest changes you've seen take place over time?

Obviously, there's a lot more teams. From when I started, I think there were 16 teams to now we're at 29. So almost doubled, which is good to see just the growth in that aspect. But also the clubs, like the stadiums that are coming in, the locations of the stadiums, the fan bases for each new club that's coming in. It's pretty cool, just because when I started, it was really big if a team had a soccer-specific stadium. And now the question is 'How big is your fan base? How passionate are they? Where's the stadium located?' And so it's pretty cool to see some of these teams coming in-Atlanta's selling out, Seattle's been doing it for a while. But it's cool to see the amount of teams coming in. And then the fans that are just showing up every week and supporting them. So I think that's the coolest thing.

Do you have a certain piece of advice you give to young players when they come in?

There's a lot of things that I try to do to help the younger generation and I think it's just don't take it for granted. I think a lot of athletes when they get drafted or whenever they sign their first contract they think they've made it, and then they think the work is done. And you can't take it for granted, that's just the beginning. You have to constantly be improving and working harder and sacrificing and just dedicating your entire life to the game. People ask 'Oh, how many hours do you work a day playing soccer? Oh, you only train for two hours. That must be amazing.' But there's so much more to it than those two hours-the preparation involved to get ready for those two hours. And then afterwards what are you doing? Are you going out and about and just on your feet and fatigued and doing all this stuff? Or are you resting up? Are you eating right? Are you sleeping right? So training is more than just those two hours, it's the whole day. And so I give a lot of advice. It's not just one thing, it's more of a big picture. So however much of it they want to take in, it's really up to them. And some guys, they really embrace it and they do well, and some guys are out in two years. So it's unfortunate, but it's a difficult profession.

Drew Moor was another league veteran like yourself before retiring at the end of last season; did he have any parting words of wisdom for you about being a strong leader in the locker room?

Yes and no, Drew's just always been a very good leader and mentor throughout the years. So it's not one thing that he said when he was done like, 'Hey, make sure you do this,' it was more so throughout the years being a good pro and looking after the young guys specifically, because that is the future and that's where our league is headed. He's just a good guy. We miss him.

About your advice to not take things for granted, was there a moment when you were a rookie here in San Jose that you felt everything sink in, that playing professionally was your life now?

I don't know if there was a moment. I feel like it was just constant. Actually, the GM right now for the Quakes, Chris Leach, was a big part. He was one of the veteran guys during my first year with the team, he was a right back and I was behind him and just trying to learn from him. The advice that he gave me, it helped, he was trying to look out for me as the leader on the team. He knew one day that I could be the future if I listened to him, if I did all the work. He was a big part, so were Ramiro Corrales, Jason Hernandez, Chris Wondolowski, all those guys, those veterans that have been in the league for a while. We got this young group coming in, and it feels like yesterday that it was my first year and I was so excited and had a deer in headlights kind of attitude, but you embrace it, and you want to just do the best that you can, because a lot of them tell you that like, 'Hey, you were fortunate enough that you got drafted here, you're fortunate enough that you actually signed, a lot of guys don't even get to step one or two. Now, how long can you play for? Are you just going to flash in the pan, two years and you're done? See you later, no one talks about you? Are you gonna make a 5, 10-year career out of it?' So it was a lot of things that they've said, that they did. They led by example, which I tried to do, so hopefully I made them proud again.

Is there a young player on the team that you see yourself in?

There's a few of them. I feel like Oliver Larraz is one that I really see similar personalities and the way he carries himself. I think he has a really bright future. He hasn't necessarily broken in yet with the first team, he's still young. I think people forget that when I came into the league, we went to college, we were able to grow and mature a little bit more and develop a little bit more. These kids are coming straight out of high school now so it's a little different. I think Oli could be a really good player, not just in this league, I think he can be a good player in the world, Europe, overseas. He's very talented, he works hard, he's got a good head on his shoulders. I just think he was a little unfortunate last year with the whole ankle and the broken leg thing and I want to see him get some good minutes, and he could be a potential big player for us.

As a husband and a father of two young kids, do you have a secret to balancing home life and work life?

There's not a secret, at least I don't know the secret. I kind of just go with the flow, live in the moment. When I was younger, I didn't necessarily have a family, kids; I always had a girlfriend, but it's a different lifestyle. Then you get older and you get married and life slows down a little bit. You have kids, and then that becomes your main focus and things just kind of change. I don't think there's some sort of secret recipe or anything. But I enjoy every stage of it. I think that's the main thing, [keeping] a pretty positive attitude with whatever I'm doing, and enjoy it and know that I'm fortunate and what I'm doing and the life that I have and just don't take it for granted.

Check out the Colorado Rapids Statistics



Major League Soccer Stories from March 9, 2023


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Colorado Rapids Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central