You'd be hard-pressed to argue with Nick Rimando's selection as the MVP of the MLS Cup. Over the course of two games, he conceded just one goal in four hours and came out on the winning end of two penalty shootouts. That kind of performance in a championship setting surely entitled him to the individual hardware.

Deserving as Rimando is, however, I'd offer another candidate who I think distinguished himself more during Real Salt Lake's remarkable championship run -- a run that really began in the final weeks of the regular season, when it was looking unlikely that RSL would even make the postseason.

I'm talking about midfielder Kyle Beckerman. His contribution to RSL's cause perhaps gets lost among the more highlight-grabbing displays of Rimando and Robbie Findley. But to me, the key to RSL's playoff run was the ability of its central midfield to impose its will on opponents. In each game during the postseason, RSL was determined to establish tempo and rhythm from the back through the midfield, giving its forwards a platform to operate on.

That all starts with Beckerman. Columbus, Chicago and Los Angeles all rely on individual playmakers -- Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Blanco, Landon Donovan and David Beckham -- to spearhead their attacking movements. But while each gravitates toward the middle of the park during games, none is particularly comfortable or effective patrolling this area of the field for 90 minutes. RSL's ability to dominate space and control possession denied those players the room and service they needed to be most dangerous. (I know Schelotto, Donovan and even Blanco didn't exactly disappear against RSL, but they weren't allowed to boss the game the way you would have expected them to.)

It's not all Beckerman, of course. He provides the range of passing, discipline and steel to the midfield, but without Will Johnson and Javier Morales for much of the final -- both were forced out because of illness and injury, respectively -- his responsibilities only increased. Andy Williams and Clint Mathis are no slouches on the ball, but they can longer be relied on to cover a lot of ground in the center of the park for 120 minutes.

The game-tying goal is a good example. The end result was a mixture of reckless abandon and predatory instinct on the part of Robbie Findley. But rewind the play a few frames, and you'll see that the initial movement started entirely with Beckerman. He collected the ball in RSL's defensive third, right in front of Rimando's penalty area, and played the ball out wide to start the move. A couple of passes later, Beckerman's on the ball again, this time in the center of the midfield. He switched the emphasis of play to the left side, linking up with Ned Grabavoy in the attacking third, who found Findley at the edge of the penalty area. The rest, as they say, is history.

It's a less glamorous, but essential function for any successful team. Watching RSL through the playoffs, you notice the ball doesn't go from the defense to the midfield or from the midfield to the attacking third without Beckerman getting a touch. He doesn't always make the home-run pass that creates a goal-scoring opportunity. But he's always within sight of the play and ready to be used as an outlet if his team gets in a jam or to provide cover if possession is lost. It's reminiscent of the way Gilberto Silva played for Arsenal's championship-winning teams, acting as a pivot from the defense to the offense, always in a position to receive the ball and never caught out defensively.

The question has to be asked, then: Has Beckerman played his way back into contention for the U.S. team? If the national team's last two friendlies are any indication, a player with his skill set and style would be a welcome addition. And it's not as if he's a stranger to the senior side, having played well in the Gold Cup and getting periodic call-ups during World Cup qualification. But you have to wonder whether his game translates to the next level. He's not the most athletic player, and to play that position you have to be able to cover a lot of ground, something Ricardo Clark, despite his faults, can do.

Would his lack of speed and athleticism get exposed at the international level? And if it comes down to a situation where Bradley is handing out the final roster spot, do you opt for a reliable player like Beckerman, or higher-risk, higher-reward player like Eddie Johnson or even Freddy Adu? I have a feeling we'll find out from now until next June, as Bradley surely has to give him another opportunity on the senior side in 2010.