RSL's Becks out to stop LA's Becks
Beckerman against Beckham key midfield matchup in Sunday's MLS Cup 2009
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"Just dominate him," Beckerman said. "We're going to try to dominate the midfield and if we're doing that, he won't be in the middle. He'll be out of the midfield looking for the ball."
Tactically, Beckerman and Real Salt Lake hope to squeeze Beckham out, forcing him to retreat into his own half to get any touches on the ball. RSL is willing to concede those touches, putting trust in its backline to repel any aerial forays launched from Beckham's right foot. In fact, Beckerman believes his team can take advantage of Beckham's roaming on the offensive end after turnovers.
"With Beckham, I think when he moves around and stuff, it will help us out when we win the ball," Beckerman said. "We're going to attack the space he just left. Mainly his roaming is going deep in defense to get the ball. That's fine with us."
As Real's captain, Beckerman's performance on Sunday will go a long way toward deciding the victor. The dreadlocked midfielder has emerged as Real Salt Lake's engine, combining with midfielder Will Johnson to form one of the hardest-working midfield tandems in Major League Soccer.
The 27-year-old is putting the finishing touches on his 10th season in Major League Soccer. Originally drafted by the now defunct Miami Fusion, Beckerman went to Colorado in the 2002 Dispersal Draft before moving to Real Salt Lake midway through the 2007 season.
In Utah, Beckerman has stood at the center of Jason Kreis' rebuilding project, assuming the captain's armband early in the 2008 season and playing nearly every minute since. The midfielder's work rate and defensive tenacity leave him as one of the game's most respected midfield stoppers, while he can also work forward to create goals when the situation warrants.
To wit: An insightful Beckerman pass led to Javier Morales' goal in the second leg of the Columbus-RSL semifinal series, a goal that paved the way for Real's thrilling comeback.
In a sense, Kreis' success as a coach and Beckerman's ascent have come hand-in-hand. In 2007, Real Salt Lake struggled while Kreis put the pieces in place for a championship run. Beckerman was the cornerstone of that team and Kreis has come to rely on his captain's leadership skills.
"He's led this team through his example," Kreis said of his captain. "He's worked so very hard tracking players down through the midfield, he's tackling balls all over the field; he's connecting passes when he gets it. As I have said he leads by example. There are players all around him that feed off that energy."
Beckerman's been on the fringes of the U.S. national team, earning 10 caps. He also represents a player who has developed his entire career in Major League Soccer, something his coach takes great pride in.
"I think you'd have to look at him and say this is a success story for young players coming into our league if the player goes about it the right way," Kreis said. "That involves some patience on the player's part and also everybody else, because oftentimes you feel like you're under pressure to play young players before they're probably ready.
"If we can all recognize that these players have a lot of years ahead of them, then when they're 25 or 26 like Kyle, they are going to be the better players in the league."
Andrew Winner is a contributor to MLSnet.com
