Sporting Kansas City captain Matt Besler earned the 25th cap of his international career on Sunday, starting and playing the full 90 minutes for the United States in a 2-0 victory over Panama at StubHub Center in Carson, California.
Besler's 25 appearances for the U.S. Men's National Team are second most among all players since the start of 2013, one fewer than Jozy Altidore, and Besler is the only member of Jurgen Klinsmann's squad to play every minute in each of the past three matches.
Facing Panama for the first time since the memorable World Cup qualifier in October 2013, the United States improved to 12-1-2 all-time against their CONCACAF rivals and won a sixth straight in the series. Michael Bradley scored the game-winning goal, curling a corner kick inside the far post in the 27th minute, and Clint Dempsey doubled the lead 10 minutes later as the annual January Camp came to a close on a victorious note.
Besler, who started at left back in the U.S. MNT's 3-5-2 formation against Chile last month and recorded his first assist on the international stage, paired with Jermaine Jones in central defense on Sunday in the team's 4-4-2 lineup. While helping limit Panama to only one shot on goal, Besler also played his part in the attack by completing 67 of 68 passes (28 of 28 in first half, 39 of 40 in second half) for a 98.5 percent passing accuracy.
The Overland Park, Kansas native is well regarded for his distribution, having completed the most successful passes of any MLS defender since 2011 (including postseason) and seventh most among all players over the past four seasons. His contributions on Sunday led the U.S. to completing 84.5 percent of their passes, the team's highest percentage in 16 games over the past year.
Besler also ranked second among American players on Saturday with four clearances and four interceptions as the United States snapped a five-game winless streak. The 27-year-old will now return to Kansas City along with Sporting KC teammate Jon Kempin, who was one of three goalkeepers in the U.S. camp, for preseason preparations.
The United States will continue the 2015 campaign with three international friendlies on the horizon: at Denmark on March 25 and at Switzerland on March 31 before returning stateside to host Mexico on April 15 in San Antonio, Texas.
