Beckerman makes MLS history despite Real Salt Lake crashing out of playoffs
In soccer, as in life, you take the good with the bad, and for Real Salt Lake midfielder Kyle Beckerman, that sentiment was as apparent as ever in his side's 1-0 loss to FC Dallas.
The good? Beckerman played in his 379th league match on Saturday night, marking a new record for appearances by an outfield player in MLS. The bad? Real Salt Lake crashed out of the playoffs for the first time in a long, long time, snapping a seven-year postseason streak in 2015.
Beckerman started his MLS career with the Miami Fusion in 2000 and has been an ever-present figure in the league in the 15 seasons that have followed. He surpasses New England Revolution legend Steve Ralston (378 appearances) and now holds the distinguished title of being the league's most capped player.
But, that accolade played second-fiddle in the locker room after the match.
"There are times in a game where you need to capitalize," club head coach Jeff Cassar said of the loss. "Dallas was bending all over the place in the first half, but they didn't break. We didn't make them break. We didn't put it in the back of the net. We fell asleep on the play and we paid the price."
Though Beckerman will certainly be proud of his achievement, his work isn't done for the season quite yet. There is but one silver lining remaining in 2015 for RSL, who now prepare for a key CONCACAF Champions League group stage fixture against Guatemalan outfit CSD Municipal on Tuesday.
A win or a draw will be enough to put Real Salt Lake into the knockout stages.