minute91: Welcome, everyone, to minute91’s Live Chat with Kyle Beckerman. Kyle will be with us shortly and is eager to answer your questions.

minute91: Quick admin item: if you have a question for Kyle, simply enter your name, write the question, and click send. It will be placed in the queue and published to the chat in the order it was received. We will try to get to all of your questions, but if we are unable, an email address will be provided at the end of the chat where you can send your unanswered questions and they will be forwarded to Kyle. And please…keep it clean! Also, stick around until the end of the Chat to find out how you can win Kyle’s jersey.

minute91: Hi Kyle, thank you for joining us today. I know you’ve got a lot to discuss with a huge match this Saturday against your old team, Colorado, the opening of Rio Tinto Stadium, and the approach of Real Salt Lake’s first ever playoff appearance. I know there are many fans with questions, so without delay, let’s get started…

Kyle, Thank you for giving us the opportunity to talk to you. If you guys win against Rapids, where in Utah will you go to celebrate the victory?

Kyle Beckerman:  Hi Everyone

Kyle Beckerman:  Well, the game is in Colorado, so we'll probably find a place to celebrate in Denver.

Do you think you guys are going to sit back a bit, since a tie is all you need, or are you guys going to attack right away and go for a win?

Kyle Beckerman:  We are going to come out to win the game just as we would any other game. If we sit back and hope for a tie, the result never comes. We'll play smart and if it's tied near the end of the game, then we'll sit back most likely, but from the start, we'll be going for the win.

How much does getting RSL to its first playoffs mean to you?

Kyle Beckerman:  It would be absolutely huge. We have a huge fan base in Utah, so it would be big for the whole state. It is a place we all believe we can go. The team is excited to get there.

Kyle, my two sons are crazy about soccer. They are 10 and 12. Could you give me some advice on where to send them for training? How did you make it to the MLS?

Kyle Beckerman:  The best way is to play as much soccer as you can and get on the best teams in your area. Club teams, state team. Just search out the best teams and make sure it's fun.

Kyle Beckerman:  I took that advice and played with a good club team at first and developed with that team. Tried out with the ODP system and moved from state, to regional, and all the way to the national team. I was one of the first to play directly from high school in the MLS and I wanted to play in the best environment I could as soon as I could. I knew I wanted to play professional soccer as a kid and I worked hard to get here.

How is the attitude amongst the team heading into the game against Colorado?

Kyle Beckerman: Really excited. It's pretty rare to get in a game that means so much in the regular season in the MLS. There's a lot riding on the game. It’s exciting to be in such a big game now. There are games with pressure and this is one of them and it's great to be a part of one.

I hear the team has really bonded lately, does that have anything to do with all of you coming together to support Andy or has this team always been close?

Kyle Beckerman:  The team has always been really close. It's not like some other teams where some of the Americans hang out and the foreign players are on their own. It's not the case at RSL. We all hang out and that's rare. The foreign players enjoy the American lifestyle and want to live it as much as possible. Andy really helped bring us even closer and a lot can be credited to him for where we are as a team today.

LOVE the Javier and Kyle show, have you stop doing it? I have not seen anything new. I do have a T-shirt and get asked all the time where I got it.

Kyle Beckerman:  haha. We are still doing it. There will be a new show very very soon. Thanks for the support.

Kyle, what do you think about CONCACAF Champions League? MLS teams are not doing well this year. What is the reason according to you?

Kyle Beckerman:  This was just a tough year for the teams in the CONCACAF tournament. A lot of injuries. It was also a tougher MLS season for everyone. This was a good thing for the league and it showed in the performances in the MLS teams. The tournament is still new to us so once we get used to playing these new opponents from the Caribbean and Latin America, you should expect better results.

Hi, to follow up on your response to be one of the first to move directly from High School to MLS. I play college soccer right now but I contemplate moving to MLS before graduating. The top players in Europe are stars at 20. Do you think that playing for college slows the development of US professional players?

Kyle Beckerman:  I don't think college hurts you at all. Many players have been very successful playing in college and in the MLS and abroad. You see it both ways, though. so if you are striving to be a professional, then your preparation is all that matters, whether that be as a reserve in MLS or in college. You will not only get a great education, but if you're good enough to be considering playng  pro, then you'll surely have a serious soccer resume coming out of college.

Did you become a Broncos fan when you were playing at Colorado? How are the 'skins doing this season in your opinion and will they make the playoffs?

Kyle Beckerman:  Never became a Broncos fan. Always a Redskins fan. I DEFINITELY think the redskins will make the playoffs.

Central American teams are better than MLS teams in CONCACAF league. If you have an offer, will you move to play to some central American team like Saprisa?

Kyle Beckerman:  I don't necessarily think Central American teams are better than the MLS teams right now. They may have more history in their teams, but I don't think they are noticeably better as a region...look at the national teams.  I would never turn down the opportunity to play for a club with a lot of heritage, though. They have great fans and I am always interested in learning other languages. But for now, I am very happy where I am.

We have a lot of fans heading from SLC to Denver for the game, Where we partying after we win Sat. night? 

Kyle Beckerman:  Appreciate the support. For right now all we are focusing on is getting the result then we'll worry about the celebration after.

If pablo Mastroeni lines up in center midfield, you will likely go head-to-head with your good friend. How dos this match-up appeal to you? Who plays guitar better, you or him?

Kyle Beckerman:  He plays guitar better, definitely.

That would be a fine matchup. I enjoy testing my skills against the best players in the league. That would be a great challenge. I'm sure I'll see a bunch of him and we'll get into some solid tackles. I don't know how closely we'd be playing to eachother since he will have some of our other players to worry about and we both tend to cover a lot of ground during the game.. 

But I would definitely give him the guitar.

minute91: This will be the last question. For those of you whose questions weren’t answered, write info@minute91.com with your question and we’ll forward it along to Kyle.

What do you think about what has happened to Jon Conway and Jeff Parke? What do you think about the extent of their penalty? 

Kyle Beckerman:  It was definitely crazy to hear about players using such substances. I know Jon Conway a bit, not so much Parke, but from what I hear, they are both really good guys and no one thinks that anything was done intentionally. People think they ended up taking something they shouldn’t have and now the league is going to make an example of them. Hopefully they can get passed this and move on with their careers.

Kyle Beckerman:  Thanks to everyone for your questions. Thanks to minute91. We'll do our best to come home with a victory and a playoff berth.

minute91:  From the minute91 community, I want to thank you and wish you the best of luck against Colorado this Saturday.

minute91:  As mentioned, Kyle will be giving away his jersey to the minute91 member who correctly predicts the score and scorers in Saturday’s match vs. Colorado. Visit here for full details and to cast your predictions:

Until next time…stay classy.