Kyle Beckerman faced his country’s flag, the national anthem booming from inside Estadio das Dunas in Brazil, and felt the tears welling up in his eyes.
“Above the flag were all our families,” Beckerman said Tuesday, “and they’re all in tears. And I’m getting all emotional and like, ‘Yo, get it together — you’ve got a game to play’.”
Four years ago, Beckerman made his World Cup debut, leading the U.S. into the Round of 16 before elimination and leaving Brazil widely recognized as one of the better performers for the United States. Yet as the 2018 World Cup began in Russia on Thursday morning, Beckerman was practicing with Real Salt Lake — and another moment of realization that the U.