FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Tanner Beason was just a four-year-old kid from Winston-Salem, North Carolina when he first started kicking a soccer ball. Maybe he didn’t know it then, but the sport would occupy his childhood, send him to a top academic university, and eventually bring him to some of the biggest stadiums in the United States as a professional athlete.
The Stanford graduate spent five seasons with the Cardinal – including a redshirt freshman year – and was part of three consecutive National Championships from 2015-17, before being selected by the San Jose Earthquakes in the first round of the 2020 MLS SuperDraft.
Interrupted by the pandemic, Beason’s introductory season to the professional ranks was anything but typical. With teams quarantined in their own bubbles, training protocols constantly shifting, and a level of uncertainty hanging over the league, Beason went through trial by fire, but it’s something that helped shape his adaptability as a player early on.
Beason spent the following four years building his MLS career in San Jose before making his way back to the East Coast to join the Revolution. Coming to New England was a big move for him, having spent the first chapter of his professional career at a single club. It’s a change he says took some time to get used to.
“There are all kinds of adjustments you make when you make a move across the country. From the smallest things like getting used to the drive to training and games, getting to know your teammates, moving all your stuff, moving your life, all those things take time,” he explained.
Through the change, Beason has settled in rather quickly, earning a spot in New England’s starting lineup seven games into the season and rarely relinquishing it. Heading into Saturday night’s meeting with the Colorado Rapids, Beason had made 11 straight starts and helped the Revs to a record of 5-2-4 in the process.
“I’m feeling settled in all across the board,” he said. “Settled in the soccer perspective and with my teammates, my routines here, and just in my life – like where I’m going to buy my groceries and things like that.”
It’s clear that the defender has found his rhythm on the pitch, partnering with Brayan Ceballos and Mamadou Fofana on the left side of a three-center-back system. Beason ranks among the top defenders in the league so far this season, averaging 1.90 blocked shots per 90 minutes per FBref. His presence on the backline has helped the Revs solidify their position as one of the stingiest defenses in Major League Soccer, while he even registered his first career assist on Maxi Urruti’s late equalizer in the 3-3 draw with Colorado.
Clearly, things have worked out just as they were meant to for Beason. With his name now synonymous with New England’s resolute defending, it’s hard to imagine him anywhere else but on the pitch. Still, he admits that if soccer hadn’t panned out, he’d likely be behind a desk right now looking at spreadsheets and crunching numbers in the world of finance.
“I majored in Management Science and Engineering, so I’d like to think if I wasn’t playing soccer, I’d be working in the finance industry. That was the route of my degree,” said Beason.
Although he is generally reserved and articulate, it seems silly to imagine him in a button down and tie, working behind a computer, when we’ve seen what he can do on the pitch. With the energy of fan-filled crowds and the demands of MLS competition, he seems built for the game in every sense.
Now fully adjusted to life in New England, Beason has shifted his focus to progress. With the team structured around a strong defensive core and continuing to build momentum, Beason’s sights are on the success of the group.
“We want to be in a playoff position,” he said, as the team currently sits in 11th place with two games in hand on much of the East. “We want to have the opportunity to play playoff games at home and compete for the trophy. That’s where we want to be this year.”
