By Dylan Butler
“The way I look at it, it's soccer and some of the best players in the English Premier League and the Spanish league aren't huge in stature,” he said. “They're huge in heart and they're huge in their desire. As long you go out there and play with all you have and you do the right work off the field as well, then you can measure up with other players.”Real Salt Lake certainly didn't have a problem with Beltran's height, selecting him third overall in the Major League Soccer SuperDraft held at the Baltimore Convention Center Friday afternoon.When Real Salt Lake general manager Garth Lagerwey wanted to know about Beltran's make-up, all it took was one phone call from United States Under-20 National Team coach Thomas Rongen to convince him.During a time of particular struggle with the national team, Beltran was among a group of players not picked for selection.But before the players left, Rongen asked them one question.”Would anybody like to stay for the fitness test?””Tony Beltran was the only guy that came back,” Lagerwey said. “He went back and won the beep test. I want a kid like that on my team.”Beltran, who grew up in Claremont, Calif., went to St. John's because he wanted a different experience. A highly touted, highly skilled midfielder, Beltran started 10 games as a freshman at St. John's and finished fifth on the Red Storm in scoring with two goals and three assists.But the California kid grew homesick and transferred to UCLA, where he played for two seasons.”I chose to get out of the state and do something different and went to Dave Masur's program at St. John's,” Beltran said. “He runs a great program there and it's a really great experience playing for St. John's in New York, but overall I missed a little bit of California so I went back and finished up my academic career at UCLA.”Beltran also played for the U.S. U-20 team, where he had an assist in the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Canada last summer. It's a resume few collegiate players in the draft had.”His athleticism and his motor in a wide position is something we felt we didn't have on our club right now,” Lagerwey said. “He's a guy that we think can compete for a starting job right away.”So now it's off to the Rocky Mountains for the California kid. He'll have to trade in his surfboard for a snowboard, not that he's ever done that before.”My parents have never let me ski or snowboard in case I hurt something for soccer,” Beltran said. “It was a good idea.”Indeed. One that has paid off well. Reach Sports Editor Dylan Butler by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 143.
