Kyle Beckerman reflects on Sporting KC-Real Salt Lake MLS soccer rivalry of the 2010s

Kyle Beckerman was among the central figures — perhaps even villains — of Sporting Kansas City’s Major League Soccer rivalry with Real Salt Lake in the 2010s.

The star midfielder enjoyed a 21-year career that included an MLS Cup with RSL in 2009 and 30 goals for the club from 2007-20. For much of his career, he was best recognized by the wildly long dreadlocks he sported for 12 years before cutting them off in 2017.

Beckerman recently told the Star he was “always up for a game in Kansas City” even though he knew manager Peter Vermes’ teams would be tough. While he didn’t tell any specific stories about interactions with Sporting fans, he said they “don’t really let too many people off the hook.”

Now retired and entering his third year as head men’s soccer coach at Utah Valley University, Beckerman said he enjoyed watching Sporting KC grow and thrive while battling them during his time with RSL.

He played against the club prior to their 2010 rebrand from the Kansas City Wizards and was part of matches at Arrowhead Stadium, CommunityAmerica Ballpark and finally Children’s Mercy Park, which opened in 2011.

“The environment that you’d come play in in Kansas City just got better and better to the point where it’s up there with top teams in the league,” Beckerman said. “In terms of experience, atmosphere, the way the field is, and how close the fans are. I mean, the way they built the stadium was just really, I thought, awesome.

“All in all, it was just a proper atmosphere you want as a player and it just kind of all came together as a perfect match for soccer in America.”

Repeated accounts say the SKC-RSL rivalry derived from a March 8, 2011 preseason game in Arizona.

Real Salt Lake took an early 2-0 lead and Sporting became increasingly physical as the match wore on. After SKC had tied it 2-2, a fight broke out, sparked by Sporting midfielder Roger Espinoza’s studs-up challenge on RSL’s Javier Morales.

Adding to the chaos, the referee reportedly red-carded the wrong player. And there were disputed reports that Morales was kicked in the head during the benches-clearing brawl.

“We were just in a spot at that time where we were in really good form. And we were in that position where we’re getting ready for the CONCACAF Champions League knockout stage early in the (MLS) season. And Kansas City was yet to get there,” Beckerman said.

“So they were building, Peter was building that team. And where you’re not, you want to be, and there’s a chip on your shoulder.”

From there, the rivalry defied regional ties as the clubs butted heads in more important matches. Most notably, Sporting defeated RSL after an epic 10-round penalty shootout in the 2013 MLS Cup final to win its second MLS championship.

Then, in 2015, KC midfielder Benny Feilhaber further stirred the pot with spicy comments about Real Salt Lake.

“They think they’re something special, when they’re not,” Feilhaber said, also calling the opposition “snobby.”

Beckerman at first said he didn’t “really want to get into a war of words.” But, asked about Feilhaber’s comments before a match against Sporting the next year, he responded critically.

“That’s petty stuff,” Beckerman told the Salt Lake Tribune. “Come say it to us, you know? Talk to us. Who are they talking to? I don’t know. We’re fine. We have no problem with them. I love (Matt) Besler, (Graham) Zusi, Chance (Myers) — these guys are good people. Tim Melia was here, so we actually have a lot of friends over there, so we don’t worry about one bozo.”

Real Salt Lake ended up sweeping Sporting KC in both matches at Children’s Mercy Park in 2016, which Beckerman said was one of his favorite memories from the rivalry.

However, with Beckerman and Nick Rimando from RSL and Feilhaber and Matt Besler from SKC all retired now, the rivalry doesn’t have quite the same intensity it once did.

“I think there’s still something there, but it’s just different than it was,” Beckerman said. “We had a high intensity point for years, which is cool. It was great that we had it. It made both teams better. It’s just different now, but I think the fans still hold that in there.”

More Sporting KC Villains

Brad Davis

While he played for Sporting in 2016, the final year of his MLS career, he was among their most hated competitors in his 10 years with the Houston Dynamo.

Regularly chippy in his performances against SKC, he and the Kansas City Cauldron fan section exchanged middle fingers on at least one occasion.

Landon Donovan

The former L.A. Galaxy standout terrorized Sporting with 14 goals and 12 assists against Kansas City in his career.

Jair Maruffo

The Star’s Sam McDowell wrote in 2018 about SKC’s struggles in matches where Maruffo was the center referee.

From 2011 to that point, Sporting went 2-7-6 (0.80) with Maruffo officiating — their worst winning percentage among 21 center refs who were assigned to at least five of their matches in that span.

Only one referee was assigned to more Sporting matches than Maruffo during that era.