This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2007, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Posted: 7:34 PM- Real Salt Lake traded fan-favorite Mehdi Ballouchy to Colorado for midfielder Kyle Beckerman on Monday night - the team's fifth major trade since the end of the 2006 season.
Beckerman, 25, has played in 158 Major League Soccer games since joining the league in 2000 and scored a career-high seven goals in 2006. He also has played three games for the United States national team this year, including a start in a loss to Colombia.
"The addition of Kyle Beckerman gives us a hard-nosed player with a refuse-to-lose attitude," said John Ellinger, Real Salt Lake's Technical Director/Director of Soccer Operations. "Kyle's recent performances at Copa America for the U.S. demonstrated his two-way abilities on both the defensive and attacking sides of the ball, and we are excited to utilize not only his ball-winning abilities in the middle, but someone who is comfortable going forward."
Ballouchy played in 46 games in his 1 1/2 seasons with RSL and ranks fourth on the team's list of games played. He did not have a goal or an assists in 14 games this season.
Dealing Ballouchy is the latest trade for RSL, which in the past eight months has traded for Fredy Adu and Nick Rimando and traded away Chris Klein and Jeff Cunningham.