While their Real Salt Lake teammates try to regroup after a stinging road loss to the Colorado Rapids, Tony Beltran and Chris Seitz will spend this week once again utilizing their soccer talents for their country.
Beltran and Seitz were among the 22 players named to the U.S. under-23 national team in advance of this week's Toulon International Tournament being staged in Toulon, France.
Being selected to a national team is not a new occurrence for either player.
Beltran joined the U-20 team as an alternate and graduated to starter going into last summer's FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada. The ex-UCLA defender started all five contests for the U.S. team, helping it reach the tournament's quarterfinal round.
Seitz saw time in Olympic qualifying matches with RSL teammates Nate Sturgis and Robbie Findley earlier this year. He also teamed with Beltran in Canada last summer and has been part of the national team system for many years now.
"It's a great honor," Seitz said of his selection. "You're wearing the badge and you're representing your country. It's always going to be great honor."
Recent history indicates that Seitz should perform well in France. In his three appearances in the net during Olympic qualifying matches earlier this year, Seitz posted a 2-0-1 record while allowing a meager 0.33 goals per game.
Beltran has been no slouch either in his rookie season with RSL. He moved into the starting lineup after ankle problems sidelined Ian Joy and has acclimated himself quickly to the professional game.
His rapid rise into RSL's starting eleven parallels Beltran's earlier ascent with the U-20 team a year ago. Real Salt Lake coach Jason Kreis is pleased with how his young defender has developed so far and feels like he has earned all three of his early season starts.
"He's a kid that's in consideration for our starting 11 every week," Kreis said. "It's obviously difficult to let somebody like that go. But, at the same time, we realize what a fantastic opportunity it is for Tony, so we would never want to stand in the way of that."
Beltran said that playing such an important role for the team in the last few games has added a new dimension to his game.
"Confidence-wise, it's made a huge difference," Beltran said.
For either player, the only difficult part of earning a selection to the national team is the time spent away from RSL at a critical juncture in the MLS season.
In addition to the setback against the Rapids, the RSL side is dealing with a growing list of players dealing with various injuries and ailments. Taking two more out of the lineup only erodes the team's depth further before this weekend's rematch with FC Dallas.
But both Seitz and Beltran realize their stint with the U-23 team can only mean good things with the experience they will get for the remainder of the season.
"It's an opportunity that's really hard to turn down," Beltran said.
The RSL duo are scheduled to rejoin the team in time for its return to Rice-Eccles Stadium against the San Jose Earthquakes on May 31.
John Coon is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
