Tony Beltran has long been among the most consistent right backs in Major League Soccer. Now with his second All-Star appearance in the last three years, Beltran has been rewarded with a contract extension with Real Salt Lake. In an article by Chris Kamrani of the Salt Lake Tribune, RSL Technical Director Craig Waibel had plenty of praise for RSL’s right back.
"Teams that win have players like Tony," he said.
The 27-year-old defender is in his eighth season in Claret-and-Cobalt and has started in 51 of RSL’s 59 matches over the last two seasons. That iron-man consistency has earned him respect around the league and in the Real locker room, where he has become a vocal element.
In his article, Kamrani writes, “Assuming a more vocal, veteran role in the RSL locker room was a move Beltran needed to make, and quickly. RSL coach Jeff Cassar and Beltran talked about that at length as veteran players were being moved in the off-season. The emotional, unfortunate goodbye to so many major names in recent seasons is part of the evolution of the club.”
To read the full article, click here.
