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RSL Soapbox rating: 5.89
Fan player rating: 5.64
In 2019, Real Salt Lake captain Kyle Beckerman’s age started to show a little bit. He played a major role on the field and is indisputably still an incredibly valuable part of our roster, but he’s still a 37 year old center midfielder who was in his 20th season as a professional. This was the first season since 2009 that Beckerman started fewer than 25 matches of the 34.
Beckerman didn’t necessarily have a bad year; he notched 5 assists, his highest since 2013 and his third highest assist count since joining RSL. Beckerman was making an impact on the field, it was just not the exact same style we were used to. There were some matches we had to protect Beckerman’s legs, as he can’t play 34 games a season anymore.
In addition to his five assists, Beckerman earned nine yellow cards throughout the season. That’s pretty standard and what you’d expect from him. This is where Beckerman makes a big impact on the field: his gutsiness. With Beckerman on the field, you can always guarantee there will be some fiery spirit.
Beckerman hasn’t seen fewer than eight yellows in a single season since 2014. Our captain didn’t shy away from that this year, and he was regularly in the face of referees doing things off the ball to give RSL an edge.
At the end of 2019, there was speculation of whether Beckerman would retire, and we still don’t know. There have been rumors around that perhaps he’s going to go into coaching or scouting, some have speculated he may just walk away. There’s still the option that he does another season in Claret and Cobalt, too.
Beckerman has led Real Salt Lake as the captain since 2008, and whether he chooses to return to RSL or not, he will always be a big part of this team. Should he return, there is little doubt that he will still see a good amount of playing time and be crucial to the team’s chemistry.