This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
The suspension of Real Salt Lake midfielder Kyle Beckerman for the rest of the regular season has one larger ramification other than Real having to do without its captain for the final two games.Major League Soccer gave Beckerman a two-game suspension and $1,000 fine for a head-butt against Chicago's Daniel Paladini on Sept. 28. Beckerman received a red card for head butting The upcoming games against Colorado and Portland would have been a perfect opportunity for Beckerman and midfielder Javier Morales to get on the same page. Even though they have shared plenty of time together, the two have not played on the same field since Morales' injury May 7.
Practice does not have the same impact as an actual game.
It will take some time to mesh. Now, RSL, which is crashing to the ground with four consecutive losses, has to wait and hope the two players click during the first round of the playoffs, especially as they are two different players with two different styles. In addition, Beckerman has been taking on more of the distribution chores.Beckerman will be suspended for a total of three games and fined a total of $1,250, including the automatic one-game suspension and $250 fine for receiving a red card. Beckerman sat out the automatic one-game suspension last weekend at Los Angeles.