playing 477 minutes and registering one assist. In his second season, he finally broke through, starting 24 games, playing 2124 minutes, and registering five assists as a central midfielder. Beckerman performed at the same level in 2004, starting consistently. Beckerman remained a regular starter through the 2005 and 2006 seasons, playing an increasingly important role for the Rapids. He finished the 2006 season with seven goals and four assists, making him one of Colorado's top offensive players that year. Real Salt Lake On July 16, 2007, Beckerman was traded to Real Salt Lake for Mehdi Ballouchy. Despite joining the team mid-season, he quickly established himself as a team leader for RSL. He took over the captain's armband early in the 2008 season. He started all 38 matches for Salt Lake that year, helping the team reach the Western Conference Final (the club's first-ever playoff appearance). Also in 2008, he was named to the MLS All-Star Inactive List for the second consecutive season. Beckerman continued as RSL's team captain throughout the 2009 season. During the year, he became the youngest player in MLS history to appear in 200 games. At mid-season, MLS Commissioner Don Garber added Beckerman and teammate Javier Morales to the roster for the 2009 MLS All-Star Game played July 29 at RSL's Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah. RSL struggled through an up-and-down regular season, finishing with a losing record (11–12–7) and barely qualifying for postseason play. But with Beckerman leading the way, the team completed a stunning sweep through the playoffs, capped with a shootout victory over Los Angeles Galaxy in the 2009 MLS Cup championship. On October 17, 2015 Beckerman broke the record for all-time MLS regular season appearances by a field player, at 379. Beckerman was named on December 9, 2020 to The 25 Greatest by Major League Soccer as part of the circuit's 25th season celebration. He announced his retirement as an active player twelve days later on December 21. International career Beckerman represented the United States on multiple levels of competition. He made his first international appearance in 1997 as a member of the U16 national team in a match against France. He made 40 appearances for the U17 national team, starting 36 times and scoring 15 goals. He started all six games in the 1999 FIFA U-17 World Championship in New Zealand, helping the U.S. to a fourth-place finish in the tournament.