Sporting KC: Who is on Sporting’s Mount Rushmore?
By Nathan Dunn
Matt Besler
The third head on Mount Rushmore would be the current captain of Sporting KC, Matt Besler.
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Besler was drafted by the Kansas City Wizards with the eighth overall pick of the 2009 MLS SuperDraft out of the University of Notre Dame. The local product had two years of mentorship from Jimmy Conrad, appearing in 29 games in 2009 and 12 in 2010 before Conrad’s departure opened the opportunity for Besler to break into the starting XI. Besler took the opportunity and never looked back.
Now, two games into an MLS season in jeopardy for obvious reasons, a 33-year-old Besler has become the club’s greatest-ever defender, beating out Nick Garcia, Jimmy Conrad, Brandon Prideuax, Jose Burciaga, and Shavar Thomas from the Wizards era and Aurelien Collin and Ike Opara from the Sporting era. As a one-club man 11 years into his professional career, Besler has been there for all four major trophies. He was also named to the MLS Best XI twice while receiving the MLS Defender of the Year and Breakout Player of the Year awards in 2012.
Besler’s defensive approach is what makes him great. He is not in the spotlight much. His awareness and work away from the ball is what saves him from having to make big challenges time and time again. Along with his great positioning, his long-range passing is superb, spraying diagonal balls across the pitch over and over again. The four-time MLS All-Star’s intelligence has rewarded him with a club-leading 286 appearances and a place on Mount Rushmore.