It is extremely rare in professional sports for a player to find their roots and play with one team for 10 seasons. That becomes even rarer in soccer, where the world market creates such a demand for top-level players. For Real Salt Lake, it’s hard to imagine where the club would be without the trio of Nick Rimando, Kyle Beckerman and Javier Morales.
They are the cornerstones around which the club built its rampant success that saw the team win the 2009 MLS Cup and reach additional finals in the 2011 CONCACAF Champions League, 2013 U.S. Open Cup and 2013 MLS Cup. And now, all three are celebrating their 10th seasons in the Claret and Cobalt.
Different paths brought them here to a club that was struggling to find its identity in 2007, but they have each in their own created a persona that has collectively changed the culture at Real Salt Lake. They’ve made winning a habit. They’ve brought the spotlight to the smallest market in the league. And they’ve elevated the club to a point of relevance in the sports community that is virtually unmatched in other MLS markets.
We talked with three others from around the league that have grown synonymous with one club for their longevity with that club – Brad Evans with Seattle Sounders FC, Pablo Mastroeni with the Colorado Rapids and Brad Davis, formerly of the Houston Dynamo.
Evans has played for just one head coach in his nine MLS seasons, moving from the Columbus Crew to Seattle Sounders FC in 2009 along with Sigi Schmid for the club’s expansion season. He has since remained a central piece to the team while playing every position except goalkeeper in one game or another. In addition to his numerous on-field battles with RSL through the years, including two separate playoff series, Evans has also regularly spent time with Beckerman and Rimando at U.S. National team camps throughout the years.
While he has enjoyed his own success in his career, he conceded admiration for the trio of Rimando, Beckerman and Morales for what they’ve accomplished individually and as a team.
“They’ve made two MLS Cup finals. That’s massive. The runs in Champions League have been huge. Making Rio Tinto a home fortress a very, very difficult place to play. That all comes through the spine of your team and all three of those guys have been there and done their business,” Evans said. “When you talk about a long career, when you talk about guys you want to emulate, those are the guys. Javi seems to never get any older. It’s ridiculous. It’s not fair. The guy seems to get smarter every single year. When you think of Kyle and Nick, you think of Americans and the tradition. When you throw Morales into that equation, he embodies that mold. He’s been a one-club guy and I don’t think that can be said for a lot of foreigners that have come to this league.”
Mastroeni has ties to all three players. He played with Rimando and Beckerman with the Miami Fusion, then again with Beckerman with the Colorado Rapids. In addition, Mastroeni has family ties to Argentina, Morales’ native country.
His perspective on the trio takes a different meaning because of those close ties, but also because he served as one of the faces of their biggest rivals with Colorado, where he played for several years before taking the coaching reins. With that fierce competitiveness has also come a large level of respect.
“This game is a strange game. It’s all about opportunity. All three of them have been in a good position. They find ways to reinvent themselves and continue to stay relevant,” he said. “The game is changing so quickly over the last four or five years into the type of pace and tactics that are required and the speed of thought. I think all three of them have found a way to fine-tune themselves to be able to remain at the higher echelon of this league.”
Davis has played for four different clubs in his MLS career, joining his fifth in Sporting Kansas City this season. But after playing 10 seasons with the Houston Dynamo, he was as synonymous with that organization as anyone as the Dynamo won consecutive MLS Cup titles in 2006 and 2007 and also reached the MLS Cup final in 2011 and 2012. He knows what it takes to carry that torch and sees those same qualities in Real Salt Lake’s ten-year trinity.
“They personify Real Salt Lake. They’ve been there for a long time and been able to set a culture and grow a culture,” he said. “Nick and Kyle are two of the greatest guys I’ve played with as far as good soccer players and good people. Their careers speak for themselves and they are guys who get the best out of their teammates. Those are the kinds of guys you want to build your team around. They have been standout guys in our league. Credit to them, but it also comes to an organization that believes in them as well.”
To see more on the Decade of Dominance from RSL's Matchday program "The Sovereign," click here.
For more from Mastroeni, Davis and Evans, click here.
