Two Sporting Kansas City defenders went head-to-head on Friday as Matt Besler and the United States defeated Marcel de Jong and Canada 1-0 in an international friendly at StubHub Center in Carson, California.
Besler played the full match while de Jong started and lasted 85 minutes in a contest that was decided by Jozy Altidore's 89th-minute header following a cross from Ethan Finlay.
Besler notched the 31st cap of his career and his second of Jurgen Klinsmann's January camp, having gone the full 90 minutes in central defense in a 3-2 win over Iceland on Sunday. The U.S. will next play a pair of World Cup qualifiers on March 25 and March 29 against Guatemala before hosting the 2016 Copa America Centenario. The 16-team tournament will serve as the Americans' marquee competition of 2016 and will run from June 3-26.
Left back De Jong recorded his 42nd appearance for Canada, which played its first match of 2016 ahead of a World Cup qualifying campaign that will continue with two games against Mexico on March 25 and March 29.
Besler and de Jong will now return to Sporting Kansas City for the club's second training camp of the 2016 preseason, presented by Children's Mercy. Manager Peter Vermes' side will be in Tucson, Arizona, from Feb. 14-27, playing four matches in the Desert Diamond Cup. Sporting KC will then kick off its 21st MLS season at Seattle Sounders FC on March 6 at 6 p.m. CT.
