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SANDY — After receiving international call-ups early this week, five Real Salt Lake players quickly departed their Major League Soccer club and were en route to meet up with their international clubs — defenders Abdoulie Mansally (Gambia) and Tony Beltran (USA), forward Alvaro Saborio (Costa Rica), goalkeeper Nick Rimando (USA) and midfielder Kyle Beckerman (USA).
Four of the five may set foot on the same pitch Friday in Denver at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park before a sold-out crowd as the U.S. Soccer Men’s National Team hosts Costa Rica in a World Cup qualifier.
Beltran, Rimando and Beckerman will all be dressed in red, white and blue Friday as the USMNT takes on Costa Rica, possibly with Saborio on the Costa Rica side. However, Saborio’s participation in the match is doubtful after he reportedly suffered a minor knee injury Wednesday in training. The injury was reported Wednesday by the Costa Rican media outlet Deportes Repretel on its Facebook page.
Beltran and Rimando will be looking for their first U.S. Soccer World Cup qualifier caps while Beckerman will enter the match looking for his third. If Saborio plays for Costa Rica on Friday, he will earn his fifth appearance for the Costa Rican club when playing the United States.
Friday’s match at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park is the second U.S. Soccer World Cup qualifier that stadium has seen, the last being played on Nov. 19, 2008, when the USMNT earned a 2-0 victory over Guatemala.
RSL players Beltran, Rimando and Beckerman will all remain with the USMNT for a second World Cup qualifying match March 26 as the club travels to face Mexico. With Saborio’s minor knee injury, it’s unknown if he will remain with Costa Rica for its other World Cup qualifier next week against Jamaica.
Following both World Cup qualifiers for the United States and Costa Rica, the handful of RSL players will all return to Utah to meet back up with the Claret and Cobalt for its second home match this season, March 30, as the club hosts the Seattle Sounders.
Kira Terry is a sports writer covering Real Salt Lake for KSL.com. Follow her on Twitter, @kiraterry.
