By Brooke Tunstall - CHARLOTTE, NC (Jul 16, 2009) USSoccerPlayers -- If good things do, in fact, come to those who wait, that might explain the sudden run of good fortune for Kyle Beckerman. So too would hard work and professionalism but patience has been key, too.
In his tenth season in Major League Soccer – yes, the kid with the dreads and the boundless energy has played an entire decade in MLS – Beckerman is suddenly getting the kind of recognition normally associated with younger players. That's what happens when you've had to wait so long for your first sustained look with the United States National Team.
Beckerman added his first All-Star selection on Wednesday, when Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber picked him for the squad. Club and country, things are happening for the 27-year old from Crofton. MD.
“It’s an honor to be chosen," Beckerman said by phone from Philadelphia, where he’s expected to start Saturday in central midfield against Panama in a Gold Cup quarterfinal. "I’m really excited especially because the (all-star) game is going to be in Salt Lake. It’s going to be awesome. I’m excited for our fans, who have been great since I got there, and our organization. I’ve just kept doing what I’ve always been doing on the field and it’s good to see it’s paying off.”
In a weird way Beckerman’s career has paralleled the League he’s played in, with ups and downs, occasional missteps, a solid period of development and now some time in the spotlight.
Just as MLS started with a lot of hype, Beckerman joined MLS from a successful stint with the US Under-17 National Team, quarterbacking them to the semifinals of the 1999 U-17 World Cup. He signed a Project-40 deal the following year and was assigned by MLS to the Miami Fusion.
“I don’t know how many (current MLS players) even know what Project 40 was,” Beckerman quipped of MLS’ first program to sign young players as an alternative to college soccer.
Beckerman’s two-year stint in Miami resulted in minimal playing time. After Miami was contracted, he ended up with Colorado through the dispersal draft. Finally getting games, he quietly developed into one of the league’s better two-way midfielders.
He’s been a regular starter since 2003 but recognition outside his locker room didn’t follow. He didn’t get his first cap till 2007, and only had three when he was named to the Gold Cup roster.
“I definitely thought I should have been given a chance (with the National Team) earlier,” said Beckerman. “But for whatever reason, it didn’t come. For the most part, I just tried to keep doing my thing with my club team and not worry about it. If you worry about it, you’ll just drive yourself crazy. I’m grateful to have an opportunity now to get in there and show them what I can do and help a different team do well. “
“I think he’s deserved (more recognition) for a long time,” said Salt Lake coach Jason Kreis. “He’s one of the best holding midfielders this country has but for whatever reason, the stars never aligned for him before. Be now they have and he’s gotten his chance and he’s taken advantage of it.”
While Beckerman waited for his chance, he saw a quartet of his former teammates from the U-17 National Team emerge as regulars with the US in Landon Donovan, DeMarcus Beasley, Oguchi Onyewu and Bobby Convey.
“It wasn’t bittersweet at all,” he said. “I was always rooting for those guys to do well with the US and I took a lot of pride that the guys from that (U17) team were doing well. I think when Landon scored in the World Cup I was as happy as he was. With Gooch going to AC Milan, I’m more excited than he is.”
Beckerman’s been one of the stalwarts of the Gold Cup team so far, doing his usual buzzing around, breaking up plays and always being open to serve as an outlet for a teammate under pressure. He started the first two Gold Cup games and settled the midfield as the US beat Grenada 4-0 and Honduras 2-0. US Coach Bob Bradley rested him at the start of Saturday’s game with Haiti but trailing 2-1 he inserted Beckerman midway through the second half and he helped the team rally for a 2-2 draw.
None of that has surprised his club coach. “It’s par for the course for Kyle, really,” said Kreis, who traded for Beckerman soon after being named the head coach in Salt Lake. “I think he’s very disciplined about his defensive work. For me, he could be the best holding midfielder we have at that job. “
Despite his strong play at the Gold Cup, Beckerman isn’t a sure-thing to be part of the team going forward. Central midfield is one of the deepest positions in the US player pool, with competition coming from the likes of Michael Bradley, Maurice Edu, Ricardo Clark and Benny Feilhaber. If that wasn’t enough, because of FIFA’s new rule about youth national team players switching allegiances, former German youth international Jermaine Jones, one of the highest-rated midfielders in the Bundesliga, is expected to be added to the mix.
But Beckerman wouldn’t want to play anywhere else. “I like the middle, you’re so involved in the play. It’s a challenge,” he said. “There are definitely a lot of really good players that play my position. But there are a lot of things I can’t control so I don’t worry about it.”
Kreis, however, expects to be without his player in the future. “I would be surprised if he doesn’t get called back, to be honest,” he said. “It puts me in an awkward position because I want him to de well and of course I want the US to do well. But he’s a very important part of what we do here and he makes us so much better and I don’t want to be without him.”
Veteran sportswriter Brooke Tunstall is a freelance writer based in Charlotte, NC. He can be reached at BrookeTunstall@aim.com
