Mt. Lebanon’s Mia Bhuta becomes 1st woman of Indian descent to play in World Cup for U.S. Soccer
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Mia Bhuta’s family shut down the stadium at the Women’s U17 World Cup Tuesday in Bhubaneswar, India. Bhuta, a Mt. Lebanon native, made history by becoming the first woman of Indian descent to appear in a World Cup game for U.S. Soccer.
Playing in her father’s home country, Bhuta pocketed a goal in the 62nd minute to help the Americans open with an 8-0 win over tournament host India.
There wasn’t an opportunity to celebrate much after the game. Bhuta was one of the two players selected for random drug testing and her family had to wait.
And wait they did.
“My family waited for over an hour,” Bhuta said. “They were there, but all the stadium lights were shut off, but they waited.”
Bhuta, 16, was named one of the three captains for the U.S. Participating in the event meant a lot to Bhuta, but may have meant more to her family.
Vyom Bhuta, Mia’s father, was born in Mumbai and emigrated to the United States at age 16 to become an exchange student in New York.
When Vyom went to Mercyhurst for college he met Mia’s mom, who was from Pittsburgh. Once they got married, the family settled in Mt. Lebanon.
“It was incredible,” Bhuta said. “It was a big moment not only for me, but for them. They are one of the main reasons I’ve been able to make it here. They’ve sacrificed so much for me to be here. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be here. My brother and sister have been my training partners.”
Bhuta’s goal was the last goal of the match, which firmly established the U.S. at the top of Group A. The United States will play Brazil on Friday and will have to play Morocco to finish up group play. Bhuta was previously on the roster of the U.S. team that won the CONCACAF championship in the Dominican Republic this year.
When it came to the goal, Bhuta didn’t see anyone’s reactions, but knew they would be raucous.
“We had a great build up to it,” Bhuta said. “I just had to finish the job and get the ball in the back of the net. That was something special to me. I know my dad was in the stands watching. I didn’t see him, but I knew he was screaming on his feet. That was cool for me.”
Bhuta graduated from high school a year early, finishing up last June. She is getting her start at Stanford this January, where she will be on the women’s soccer team.
What Bhuta emphasized is that she wants to use her platform on the national team to send a message. After scoring Bhuta said she was overwhelmed by the response on social media and said she had to give herself a time out on her phone screen so she would stop looking.
Another note Bhuta was given after getting out of the drug testing protocol was that senior national team member Megan Rapinoe had included Bhuta’s goal on an instagram story. Being able to have this opportunity was something she relishes and hoping that her playing on the team will give her an opportunity to encourage.
“We’ve seen in a lot of countries that girls don’t have the same opportunities to play sports,” Bhuta said. “First off, it’s a call to everyone else around the world. We need your support. Girls are starting to believe in themselves more than ever before. I think in the past we’ve seen women have a large impact on their families, but we’re having more of an impact on society and a larger scope of influence. When I play, I hope to encourage young girls to continue to believe in themselves and know that with hard work they can achieve anything.”