The United States may have lost to Germany 1-0 on Thursday, but the Yanks are through to the World Cup Round of 16 after finishing runners-up in a challenging Group G. For the third match running, Sporting Kansas City's Matt Besler earned solid player ratings for anchoring the American defense.
"Besler kept his focus on the primary objective – keeping (Thomas) Muller quiet. And despite the Bayern forward scoring, Besler held the tricky Muller well in check." -- NBC Sports (7/10)
"Was his usual consistent self both with his defending and his passing. He's gotten stronger as the tournament has gone on." -- Jeff Carlisle, EPSN FC (7/10)
"Even though he did ship a couple of sloppy passes up the middle in the final half-hour, the Besler we all saw in the first two group games re-appeared at the back to shine with a variety of strong disruptions of the German attack." -- Greg Seltzer, MLS Soccer (6.5/10)
"Not as eye-catching a performance for Besler as his restored partner in central defense, but the Sporting Kansas City star played 180-plus minutes across Manaus and Recife without making a single memorable mistake. As solid as it's possible to be." -- Jerry Hinnen, CBS Sports (6/10)
"Another solid display from Besler who is proving himself to be a reliable defender at the heart of the USA defense." -- Louis East, HITC Sport (7/10)
"Often thought to be the weak link in defense, he’s given nothing away so far. Won all of his aerial battles." -- Jerrad Peters, Bleacher Report (7/10)
"Let Klose slip by him and was only saved by an overhit cross. But the game was shoved down his and his teammates' collective throat and he kept the U.S. back line high and largely unbeaten." -- Jacob Klingler, PennLive.com (7.5/10)
"Like the rest of the USA defence, he stuck to his task and made it hard for Germany to really breach." -- Goal.com (3 stars)
