In celebrating the longevity of Nick Rimando, Javier Morales and Kyle Beckerman, we reached out to some longtime stewards of the league to offer perspective on the 10 seasons in Utah of the RSL trio.
Colorado Rapids Head Coach Pablo Mastroeni spent 12 seasons with the Colorado Rapids before finishing his MLS playing career with the LA Galaxy. In 2014 he took over as Head Coach of the Rapids and has remained in fierce competition with the Rocky Mountain Cup rivals.
What does it take to play so long on one team in MLS?
“I think it’s an anomaly now that plays on one team, but I think Kyle, Nick and Javi have been exemplary players for Real Salt Lake. They’ve made themselves indispensable by the way they’ve performed year-in and year-out. Not only that, but off the field as well. I think they carry themselves in a way that’s a great reflection of the club. I think it all fits in to their longevity there at Salt Lake.”
You’ve known Kyle since his days with the Miami Fusion. How has he had such longevity?
“I think as a young kid coming into the league, he always had a chip on his shoulder. He knew that he could go as far as he wanted with his commitment, his desire, his technique and his ability to always want to get better. There are a lot of players that have had an easier pathway into the national team or into a great career and I think Kyle has had to earn every step of the way. I think with that comes a ton of respect from his peers, from his teammates, from everyone that’s played with him.”
There are a lot of players that are really competitive people, but what makes Kyle different that makes people follow his leadership?
“Mean what you say and say what you mean. With that comes a certain level of trust and confidence in a person. He’s always been one that leads by example. When he’s talking about work, when he’s talking about cleanliness in a pass, when he’s talking about working hard to recover the ball, those are things that he exhibits on a day-to-day basis. He’s a man of his word and that’s what makes him an easy guy to follow.”
Brad Davis played 10 seasons with the Houston Dynamo before moving to Sporting Kansas City over the off-season. He offered his perspective on RSL’s trio after playing with Rimando and Beckerman with the U.S. National Team and going toe-to-toe with all three throughout his time in MLS.
You played 10 seasons with Houston. What does it take for a player to have that kind of longevity with one team?
“It’s difficult, especially in this league to be able to do that. It means you’ve had an organization and a coaching staff and a lot of people that have believed in you. From a personal standpoint and a family standpoint, it’s very good. There’s not a lot of guys who get to set their roots in one place and be able to grow a family. I was able to do that. For them, I bet they’re very grateful for that. It allows you to set your roots, be comfortable and you don’t have to be looking over your shoulder with all the movement that happens in this league.”
Brad Evans is in his eighth season with Seattle Sounders FC, joining the club during its inaugural season in 2009. He, too, has seen extensive battle against RSL in the regular season and playoffs, but has also seen a different side of Rimando and Beckerman as teammates with the U.S. National Team.
What can you say about RSL’s trio playing together for 10 seasons?
“I think it’s a tremendous accomplishment, number one. I think it speaks a lot to the club, first and foremost. I think it says a lot about the players too. I think it’s two sides dedicated to each other. Those three guys are really the cog of what made Salt Lake an extremely good team and a very difficult team to play against ever since I’ve been in the league. That says something about them and the longevity of their careers. I think it’s great that Salt Lake has treated them well. They’ve done right by them. They’ve honored them with big contracts. That’s obviously been a big-time reward for them. That’s huge. You’d like to see that around the league – clubs rewarding players who have dedicated their careers to a club is phenomenal. There were probably opportunities to make more money elsewhere, but they wanted to be in Salt Lake. That’s number one to me. They truly wanted to be there. They are committed to that team and that says a lot about what they’ve built there – the culture, the city … everything. I think other clubs would want to emulate that. Their service to this league is second to none. It’s incredible and those are the guys that you want to mold your career on.”
