Player of the Month, April 2012

Naming a player of the month is always difficult when said month has had more than its fair share of ups and downs. April is no exception: three wins, two losses and a draw. Ick. We beat the Rapids (hooray!) but lost to San Jose (oh….) Cutting through the pea-soup-fog of all that, I do think we can find a player of the month without any real issue.

For me, there was only ever going to be one winner. Or, well, maybe two. But certainly not many more than that. This month's Player of the Month, for me, is somebody who has led our side through good times and bad, who has been an ever-present, who has even won a goal of the week for a stunning strike against San Jose despite the side dropping three points.

And just like that, I ruined the surprise. It is, of course, Kyle Beckerman, whose play has been nothing sort of sensational. We've seen him in a transformational stage this season, and he's well and truly found his feet again. Where last season, he'd drop into the middle of a very high-line defense and marshall the side from deep, this season, he's been in a more active role. He can be found in positions further up the pitch, hassling midfielders, winning the ball, and generally making a nuisance of himself.

It's no coincidence that he's already equalled his Real Salt Lake regular season scoring record, and I suspect before long, he'll beat it. In fact, if he scores at this pace, he'll beat his scoring record he set with the R*pids (7) in 2006. It's no small achievement for one of the best players this club has seen. Two of those goals have come in April, with one (against Portland) coming right at the cusp of the month, so for the purposes of this consideration, I'll just pretend it came in April.

Aside from his goalscoring exploits, Kyle's been outstanding as a captain. When heads could have dropped after the loss to Sporting KC, we picked back up and looked the better side until we had two players sent off. When heads could have dropped after that loss against San Jose, they didn't, and our captain surely led the way. He's a massive part of our side, on and off the pitch. He's constantly seen with other players, senior and less senior, at charitable causes, as part of the community — he is, in many ways, the face of this club.

In 540 minutes on the pitch in April, the inimitable Beckerman scored twice, made 11 key passes, intercepted play 20 times, was given the goal of the week award, and attempted an average of 62 passes per match. If we ever needed more proof that he's not only our captain in name, but our captain in spirit, we have it.

Time will tell what Kyle Beckerman means to this club in the long run. If things continue to improve, he may well be the best midfielder in the league — if he's not there already. He's been with us for nearly six years now, scored 16 goals and made 17 assists. As he continues to lead from the back and the front, there's no doubt that he'll go down in the annals of Real Salt Lake history. How far that extends, how storied a player he is, depends largely on him.

There are just too many good things to say about the guy. He's great off the pitch, and he's great on it. That's what matters.