This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Kyle Beckerman was "gutted" to see the referee pull a controversial yellow card out of his pocket.
Coach Jason Kreis said it was unjust, and called it a "travesty."
Nevertheless, if Real Salt Lake is going to lift the Champions League trophy and advance to the FIFA Club World Cup, it is going to have to do so without the very engine of its team, the tireless talisman who has been at the center of the team's ascent to nearly the top of the soccer world.
That's because Beckerman will be suspended for the home leg of RSL's Champions League finals series against Monterrey at Rio Tinto Stadium on Wednesday night, by virtue of the yellow card he received in the first leg that put him over the limit for the knockout phase of the tournament.
So his teammates will have to find a way to handle a dangerous Monterrey team without him.
"We have to be confident with whatever we choose to do," midfielder Ned Grabavoy said. "It's a big loss, either way. Obviously, Kyle is a great leader, and obviously he has fought with us through this whole thing. So we're kind of upset for him not being able to be out there."
For such a big game, coach Jason Kreis seems most likely to slot Grabavoy into Beckerman's spot as the defensive midfielder in the team's "diamond" midfield formation, considering Grabavoy's veteran experience and technical ability.
But he also could use physical young reserve Jean Alexandre, who started the first two of seven games Beckerman missed last season because of a foot injury, albeit against weaker Major League Soccer opponents. Midfielder Will Johnson is also an option.
Grabavoy started the next four in that stretch, before he and Alexandre both started in an especially defensive formation in a 2-0 loss at FC Dallas that Kreis later acknowledged was a mistake.
Overall, the team was 4-1-2 when Beckerman was out hurt.
"We had to do it last year, so maybe it's more helpful that we have played without Kyle before in that spot," Grabavoy said. "Whoever is in there is going to have to be a ball-winner and a guy who connects the pieces from the back" and finds midfielder Javier Morales and others "in good spots, going forward."
Kreis has praised Beckerman as "our most consistent and best player" during the first part of the season, and said he has been a "critically important player for us."
"But I also believe that we're good enough and we're strong enough and we're deep enough that we can still have a positive result without him," he said.
For his part, Beckerman was devastated.
His tackle on Monterrey's Jesus Zavala in the second half of the first leg seemed innocuous enough, but Zavala went down "like he was shot," Beckerman said, "and the referee bit on his acting."
Zavala was later booked himself for arguing, and also will miss the game due to caution accumulation — along with teammate Aldo de Nigris and injured midfielder Luis Perez.
"Kyle's a massive loss," midfielder Will Johnson said. "But we've seen guys be suspended or red-carded before and we've missed our guys, but we've always stuck together and come through. So whoever steps up and fills that role for Kyle has big shoes to fill, but we have a lot big personalities on this team. I think we'll be OK."
Monterrey at RSL
P At Rio Tinto Stadium, 8 p.m., Wednesday
TV • Fox Soccer