Kyle Robert Beckerman (born April 23, 1982) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a midfielder. He spent 21 seasons in Major League Soccer (MLS) with the Miami Fusion (2000–2001), Colorado Rapids (2002–2007) and Real Salt Lake (2007–2020). He was a starting central defensive midfielder and captain when RSL won MLS Cup 2009. He also earned 58 caps with the United States national team. In 2021, Beckerman was named the head coach of the Utah Valley University men's soccer team, a Division I program in Orem, Utah. Early and personal life Beckerman was born in Crofton, Maryland. His parents are Margaret "Meg" (née Lamade) Beckerman, a third grade teacher, and Paul Beckerman, a science teacher. His brother Todd is four years his senior and coaches the wrestling team at Brown University. On January 4, 2014, he married Kate Pappas a Greek American account supervisor at Love Communications, at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Salt Lake City. Beckerman is known for his distinctive dreadlocks, which he started growing around 2005. In November 2017 Beckerman shaved off the majority of his hair in preparation for a new physical. Club career Early career Beckerman began his career in various youth leagues in the Bowie, Maryland area. He played for the United States in the 1999 Under-17 World Cup in New Zealand. He attended DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland as a freshman, where he won a state wrestling title. He later transferred to and graduated from Arundel High School, and he signed a Nike Project-40 contract with MLS on June 27, 2000. Beckerman had been involved with the league for the previous few years, having been one of the inaugural students at the United States Soccer Federation's Bradenton Academy, which also featured Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley, Oguchi Onyewu, and Bobby Convey. Miami Fusion Two days after he signed with the league, Miami Fusion claimed Beckerman. Beckerman hardly played in his first two years; he registered only 110 minutes in his first year and only 14 in his second after breaking his leg playing in the A-League. He went on loan with MLS Project 40 in 2000. Colorado Rapids After the Fusion were contracted at the end of the 2001 season, Beckerman was selected 11th overall in the 2002 MLS Dispersal Draft by the Colorado Rapids. In his first year with the Rapids, Beckerman again saw limited time,