When Real Salt Lake selected Tony Beltran with the third overall pick in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft, it seemed like a no-nonsense home run type of selection.
Beltran appeared to possess the right kind of mix of talent and experience to step in and immediately contribute for just about any MLS club. The ex-UCLA defender cut his teeth in a stint with the U.S. under-20 national team. He had also played for a team in the Bruins which has made its mark as one of the better college men's soccer programs in the country.
Great expectations followed Beltran to Salt Lake City. It seemed like a perfect match to pair him with a club looking to rebuild its back four from scratch and some experts even predicted Beltran would slide in the starting 11 right away.
The RSL rookie opted for a more cautious approach when he arrived in Utah.
"It's tough to have expectations coming into a rookie season," Beltran said. "You have people telling you what's going to happen but, of course, experiencing it for yourself is entirely different."
It hasn't taken Beltran long to carve out an important role with his new club. He earned his first start of the season in the U.S Open Cup qualifier against San Jose and made his first official MLS start against Los Angeles last weekend.
The results were mixed in Beltran's debut. He had moments of steadiness and solid defense punctuated by a bad decision or two which proved costly.
One glaring mistake in particular occurred when he failed to clear a ball around the 35th minute, opting instead to try to work it over to a teammate. Beltran's pass ended up being intercepted and led to David Beckham's first goal of the match.
"He looked like a young player to me," Kreis said after the 2-2 tie with the Galaxy. "He had some very bright moments and then he had one mistake. But, apart from that one mistake, he was fantastic."
Like any rookie, Beltran can expect to face more rough patches in his transition from collegiate soccer to the professional game. But, unlike most rookies, Beltran came to RSL with a background that improved his learning curve.
Beltran's points to his time with the U.S. U-20 squad as the best kind of preparation he could of had for a pro career. He started all five games for the national team in the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada last summer.
Facing the best other nations had to offer, Beltran said, helped raise his own level of play to heights he had never experienced before.
"College is competitive, but it's a different game than the U-20s and here in the pros," Beltran said. "It helped me get a taste for playing against international stars. It's an experience I'll never forget -- the one that most helped me towards getting ready to be a pro."
If Beltran's playing days at UCLA serve as any indicator, the former Bruins standout has the makings of being a rock in the back four. He started in all 21 games he played in as a junior and earned all Pac-10 First-team honors.
The mix of athleticism and quickness he has shown in practice and on the field has impressed his more-seasoned teammates.
"Tony is going to get a lot of minutes this year," said fellow defender Nat Borchers. "He's just a very fast, very technically sound young player. He definitely deserves minutes in the games were going to play."
For all the expectations that come with being such a high draft pick, Beltran does not feel any of it weighing him down. If anything, he has a desire to validate the trust RSL put into his abilities in the first place.
"This is my job now and I have the desire to succeed at it," Beltran said. "I want to live up to the expectations that everyone has. I'm honored to have people say I'm going to come in here and make an impact."
John Coon is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
