Real Salt Lake had three players start in CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying matches on Friday night, with leading scorer Alvaro Saborio (Costa Rica) playing the full 90 for his respective national team, MF Will Johnson (Canada) starting and going 72 minutes and captain Kyle Beckerman (U.S.) starting and playing 57 minutes in his match.
Johnson was the only RSL player whose team emerged with a positive result on Friday, as the Canadian national side got a 77th minute goal from D.C. United’s Dwayne De Rosario to beat Panama 1-0 at BMO Field in Toronto. Johnson had a solid match for the Canucks, putting in a workmanlike 72 minutes in the midfield and delivering service that led to a Kevin McKenna header off the post in the first half.
Saborio and Beckerman weren’t as successful on Friday night. Saborio did put in a decent 90 minutes for Costa Rica, but his Ticos weren’t very good against Mexico, falling to El Tri 2-0 at home.
Things weren’t any better for Beckerman. The Claret-and-Cobalt’s captain started for the U.S. at Jamaica but was pulled after the first 57 minutes of the Americans’ 2-1 loss in Kingston. Beckerman played a big role in Jamaica’s first goal; conceding a foul just outside the box to setup a free kick and seeing the ensuing shot deflect off his foot from the wall and into the back of the net.
Beckerman, Saborio and Johnson will all return to action with their national teams in another World Cup Qualifer on Tuesday night. They'll be joined on international duty by RSL GK Nick Rimando, who will meetup with the U.S. team on Saturday in Columbus ahead of their home match against Jamaica.
