Kyle Beckerman

Kyle Robert Beckerman (born April 23, 1982) is an American soccer player who plays for Real Salt Lake in Major League Soccer and the United States national team. He is a holding midfielder and also serves as team captain for Real Salt Lake.

Kyle Beckerman

Beckerman lining up for Real Salt Lake in 2010
Personal information
Full name	Kyle Robert Beckerman[1]
Date of birth	April 23, 1982 (age 32)
Place of birth	Crofton, Maryland, United States
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Playing position	Midfielder
Club information
Current team	Real Salt Lake
Number	5
Youth career
1999	IMG Soccer Academy
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2000–2001	Miami Fusion	3	(1)
2000	→ MLS Pro-40 (loan)	7	(0)
2002–2007	Colorado Rapids	145	(10)
2007–	Real Salt Lake	207	(24)
National team‡
1999	United States U17	6	(1)
2007–	United States	42	(1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of March 14, 2015. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of November 24, 2014 Early and personal life[edit] Beckerman was born in Crofton, Maryland, where he grew up.[2] His parents are Margaret "Meg" (née Lamade) Beckerman, a third grade teacher, and Paul Beckerman, a science teacher.[2][3] His brother Todd is four years his senior.[2] He was married on January 4, 2014 to Kate Pappas, a Greek American account supervisor at Love Communications in Salt Lake City.[4] Beckerman is Jewish..[5][6] Early soccer career[edit] He began his career participating in various youth leagues in the Bowie, Maryland area. He played for the United States in the 1999 Under-17 World Cup in New Zealand. He attended DeMatha Catholic High Schoolin Hyattsville, Maryland as a freshman, where he won a state wrestling title. He later transferred to and graduated from Arundel High School,[7] he signed a Nike Project-40 contract with MLS on June 27, 2000. Beckerman however had been involved with the league for the previous few years, having been one of the inaugural students at the United States Soccer Federation's Bradenton Academy, which also featuredLandon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley, Oguchi Onyewu, and Bobby Convey. Career[edit] Two days after he signed with the league, the Miami Fusion claimed Beckerman. Beckerman hardly played in his first two years, however, registering only 110 minutes his first year and only 14 his second after breaking his leg playing in the A-League. He went on loan with MLS Project 40 in 2000.[8] After the Fusion were contracted at the end of the 2001 season, Beckerman was selected 11th overall in the 2002 MLS Dispersal Draft by the Colorado Rapids. In his first year with the Rapids, Beckerman again saw limited time, playing 477 minutes and registering one assist. In his second season, however, he finally broke through, starting 24 games and playing 2124 minutes, registering five assists, as a central midfielder. Beckerman did much the same in 2004, starting consistently but rarely impressing greatly. Beckerman remained a regular starter through the 2005 and 2006 seasons, playing an increasingly important role for the Rapids. He finished the 2006 season with seven goals and four assists, making him one of Colorado's top offensive players that year. On July 16, 2007, Beckerman was traded to Real Salt Lake for Mehdi Ballouchy.[9] He quickly established himself as a team leader for RSL despite joining the team in mid-season. He took over the captain's armband early in the 2008 season. He started all 38 matches for Salt Lake that year, helping the team reach the Western Conference Final (the club's first-ever playoff appearance). Also in 2008, he was named to the MLS All-Star Inactive List for the second consecutive season. Beckerman continued as RSL's team captain throughout the 2009 season. During the year, he became the youngest player in MLS history to appear in 200 games. At mid-season, MLS Commissioner Don Garber added Beckerman and teammate Javier Morales to the roster for the 2009 MLS All-Star Game played July 29 at RSL's Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah. RSL struggled through an up-and-down regular season, finishing with a losing record (11–12–7) and barely qualifying for postseason play. But with Beckerman leading the way, the team completed a stunning sweep through the playoffs, capped with a shootout victory over Los Angeles Galaxy in the 2009 MLS Cup championship. Kyle Beckerman, Real Salt Lake Midfielder, warming up at the MLS All Star game at Sporting Park, Kansas City, Kansas on July 31, 2013. International[edit] Beckerman has represented the United States on multiple levels of competition. He made his first international appearance in 1997 as a member of the U-16 National Team (in a match against France). He made 40 appearances for the U-17 National Team, starting 36 times and scoring 15 goals. He started all six games in the 1999 FIFA U-17 World Championship in New Zealand, helping the U.S. to a fourth place finish in the tournament. He also played for the U-23 National Team in the 2004 Pre-Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Mexico. Beckerman's first appearance for the Senior National Team came January 20, 2007 in a friendly match against Denmark. He was named to the U.S. roster for the 2007 Copa America in Venezuela, where he earned two caps: he entered as a reserve against Argentina, then played the full 90 minutes against Colombia. In July 2009, he was named to the U.S. roster for the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup. He started all six matches for the United States, helping his team to a second-place finish in the tournament. On July 18, 2009 he scored his first international goal in the quarterfinal match against Panama. On August 27, 2009, Beckerman was named to the national team roster for two World Cup qualifier matches: against El Salvador (September 5) and Trinidad & Tobago (September 9). He entered the match against El Salvador as a second-half substitute. In August 2011, Beckerman re-joined Team USA at the invitation of new coach Jürgen Klinsmann. He played all 90 minutes in a friendly match against Mexico (a 1–1 draw) on August 10, and was a halftime substitute in a 1–0 friendly loss against Belgium on September 6. Since that time, Beckerman has been a regular on the national team. Throughout July 2013, Beckerman was called up for the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup alongside Real Salt Lake teammates Nick Rimando and Tony Beltran. Both Beckerman and Rimando started in 5 out of 6 games while Beltran started in only one match in home stadium Rio Tinto Stadium, where the trio played a full 90 minutes in front of their home crowd. Beckerman made 3 assists throughout the tournament until making to the final. On July 28, 2013, Beckerman played a full 90 minutes with Rimando to help secure the United States' 5th Gold Cup championship against Panama in a 1–0 victory. It was his first Gold Cup title as well as Rimando's and Beltran's. He was also named the game's Most Valuable Player. On May 22, 2014 Beckerman was named to the final 23-man roster for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.[10] The tournament was his first-ever World Cup appearance. He started as defensive midfielder during all the games of the group stage and sat out for the Round of 16 game against Belgium. International goals[edit] # Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 01. July 18, 2009 Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, U.S.  Panama 1 – 1 2–1 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup Career statistics[edit] Club[edit] As of December 14, 2014. Club performance League Cup League Cup Continental Total Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals USA League Open Cup League Cup North America Total 2000 Miami Fusion Major League Soccer 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 2001 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2002 Colorado Rapids 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 14 0 2003 28 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 32 0 2004 29 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 32 1 2005 30 1 0 0 3 0 0 0 33 1 2006 31 7 0 0 3 0 0 0 34 7 2007 13 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 13 1 Real Salt Lake 15 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 15 2 2008 30 3 0 0 3 0 0 0 33 3 2009 25 3 1 0 4 0 0 0 29 3 2010 22 2 1 0 2 0 5 1 30 3 2011 29 3 0 0 3 0 4 0 36 3 2012 30 4 0 0 2 0 3 1 35 5 2013 26 4 5 1 5 0 - - 36 5 2014 28 3 2 0 - - 30 3 Total USA 353 35 10 1 31 0 12 2 406 38 Career total 353 35 10 1 31 0 12 2 406 38 International[edit] As of December 14, 2014. National team Year Apps Goals United States 2007 3 0 2009 7 1 2010 2 0 2011 6 0 2012 5 0 2013 10 0 2014 9 0 Total 42 1 Honors[edit] United States[edit] CONCACAF Gold Cup (1): 2013 Real Salt Lake[edit] Major League Soccer Western Conference Championship (1): 2013 Major League Soccer Eastern Conference Championship (1): 2009 Major League Soccer MLS Cup (1): 2009 Individual[edit] MLS All-Star (6): 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 MLS All-Star Inactive List (2): 2007, 2008