Take nothing away from his teammates at Real Salt Lake since he joined the team in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft, but Tony Beltran couldn’t help but feel a bit awed when he looked up the field at the 2015 AT&T MLS All-Star Game on Wednesday and he had the likes of World Cup champions David Villa and Kaka as options to play the ball to.
“It was really fun. It was an exciting week for me personally and for MLS. It was fun to play with some new players, some players I admire. And obviously great to get the win,” Beltran said after a 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. “The first few minutes of the game we came off very aggressively and I was watching those guys put some sequences together. In the midst of battle I thought, ‘Wow … They’re pretty good.’ It’s fun to play with them and good to test my standard against theirs and know that I belong on the same field as them.”
Beltran was playing in his second All-Star Game after starting in the match in 2013. Now back with RSL, he is helping the team prepare to face D.C. United on Saturday at RFK Stadium.
“Of course I’m happy to be back here and play with my brothers,” Beltran said after training on Friday. “The focus shifts immediately to a rather important stretch we have here.”
Real Salt Lake got a boost to the training ground on Friday when Beltran and Nick Rimando returned from the All-Star Game. After Kyle Beckerman made his return to training earlier in the week and getting newly-acquired midfielder Luis Silva back from injury, RSL has some reinforcements in tow for a difficult trip upcoming that will see the club play five matches in three competitions in 15 days.
“We’ve put ourselves in a position to really move up the table. With these last three results, if we perform in August we can really get something going here toward the end of the year,” Beltran said. “Those guys are seasoned guys and guys that are proven to contribute. It’s a good boost to have them back.”
Kickoff for Saturday’s match is scheduled for 5 p.m. MT with television coverage on KMYU.
