SANDY, Utah / NEW YORK – Real Salt Lake Captain Kyle Beckerman, DF Tony Beltran and GK Nick Rimando were named on Monday to the 20-man MLS All-Star gameday roster that will compete against AS Roma in the 2013 AT&T MLS All-Star Game on July 31 at Sporting Park in Kansas City (Live on ESPN2 and UniMas starting a 7 p.m. MT).
The RSL trio was named to the roster by Sporting Kansas City Head Coach Peter Vermes, who will coach the All-Stars at SKC’s home stadium. All three of RSL’s All-Stars are currently with the U.S. national team on CONCACAF Gold Cup duty.
With three selections, Real Salt Lake is tied with Sporting Kansas City for most players from any one club on this year’s All-Star gameday roster.
This is the seventh consecutive season that Beckerman has received MLS All-Star recognition and the fifth straight year that he’s been named to the gameday roster. The 31-year-old defensive midfielder has enjoyed yet another strong year for the Claret-and-Cobalt in 2013, scoring two goals and adding three assists in 16 MLS appearances – all starts – for the Utah side. Beckerman played a major role in the 2012 MLS All-Stars’ 3-2 win over English side Chelsea FC, notching the game-winning assist on the All-Stars’ stoppage time winner.
“I'm always honored to represent MLS and RSL in the All-Star Game,” Beckerman said. “The game gives us a great opportunity to feature the talent this league has and showcase the progress we've made. The number of spaces on the ASG roster doesn't allow for a lot of deserving guys to be on this team, but we'll do our best to represent them well.”
This is the first MLS All-Star selection for Beltran. The sixth-year right back, who set a career high in minutes played last year, is off to another good start in 2013, appearing in 16 games and registering a lone assist for RSL.
“I am very pleased to have been named to the 2013 All-Star team, to be in the company of such an elite group of players, and to have the opportunity to represent my league against AS Roma,” Beltran said. “This accolade was not achieved on my own, and I remain thankful to be part of a team and organization as admirable as RSL.”
Real Salt Lake’s longest-tenured player, Rimando has been dominant in net this season, leading the league with 10 wins and placing tops among starting goalkeepers with a 0.82 goals against average and a 79 percent save percentage. The 34-year-old ‘keeper also places amongst the league leaders with six shutouts and 52 saves. This is the third time that Rimando has received All-Star recognition; he was named to the inactive roster for the 2011 game and made the gameday roster for the 2010 contest.
“It feels great to be selected to represent not only my league, but also my team Real Salt Lake,” Rimando said. “My selection is a testament of how well we've been playing and I'm humbled to take part in this year’s All-Star Game. As always, I’d like to thank my teammates and coaches for this opportunity.”
First-place Real Salt Lake will return to action this Saturday, when it will host Vermes and Sporting Kansas City in a battle of the top two teams in the Supporters’ Shield standings at 8 p.m. MT at Rio Tinto Stadium. Tickets for the match – which will be followed by a postgame fireworks display in celebration of Pioneer Day – can be purchased at the Rio Tinto Stadium box office, online at www.RealSaltLake.com/Tickets or over the phone at 801-727-2700.
Beckerman, Beltran and Rimando will not be available for Saturday’s match, as they’ll be preparing for Sunday’s Gold Cup Quarterfinals in Baltimore. The Claret-and-Cobalt trio – all of whom went 90 minutes in the U.S.’s 4-1 Gold Cup win over Cuba at Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday – will wrap up Group C action on Tuesday night in Hartford against RSL teammate FW Alvaro Saborio and Costa Rica. Tuesday’s match – which will decide the winner of Group C – will be broadcast live on Fox Soccer Channel and UniMas beginning at 6 p.m. MT.
The entire 20-man 2013 MLS All-Star gameday roster is listed below:
2013 MLS All-Star Gameday Roster
Goalkeepers:Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake), Raul Fernández (FC Dallas)
Defenders:Tony Beltran (Real Salt Lake), Corey Ashe (Houston Dynamo), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Aurélien Collin (Sporting Kansas City), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), DeAndre Yedlin (Seattle Sounders FC)
Midfielders:Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Patrice Bernier (Montreal Impact), Tim Cahill (New York Red Bulls), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Will Johnson (Portland Timbers), Mike Magee (Chicago Fire), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)
Forwards:Marco Di Vaio (Montreal Impact), Thierry Henry (New York Red Bulls), Robbie Keane (LA Galaxy), Camilo Sanvezzo (Vancouver Whitecaps FC), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)
