Drew Beckie's story is familiar to American and Canadian soccer fans. From childhood to the pros, the story is full of constant movement, always chasing the dream from club to club, city to city, country to country, continent to continent.
But sometimes those familiar soccer dreams veer into unfamiliar territory because the body doesn't want to play along. For Beckie, that moment came when he was in Europe and was rushed to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with myocarditis caused by a viral infection.
Suddenly Beckie was told to stop playing for six months. No more trials in Finland. No more training on his own. No more anything. Otherwise, there was, as his doctor deadpanned, "an increased risk of dropping dead on the field."
What happened next is the epitome of what makes the soccer community so incredible and what a soccer player with a dream is capable of.
Still Defending is available to watch for free on the film's official website.