Sporting Kansas City captain Matt Besler was named to the United States Men’s National Team’s 23-player roster on Sunday for a pair of upcoming international friendlies. The United States will host Peru on Sept. 4 in Washington, D.C. before playing Brazil on Sept. 8 in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
"It's always an honor to get called in for a national team camp,” Besler said. “With the Confederations Cup playoff match on the horizon, these friendlies will be important for our preparation to face Mexico. Our goal is to be in the Confederations Cup every four years and the next few weeks will be important in helping us reach that goal."
Besler, 28, has played every minute in Sporting Kansas City’s last 27 matches across all competitions. He ranks second among MLS players with 172 clearances in 2015 and anchors a backline that has conceded the fewest shots in Major League Soccer.
In his seventh professional season since being selected in the first round of the 2009 MLS SuperDraft, Besler leads all current players with 209 appearances for the club across all competitions. He is a four-time MLS All-Star to go along with MLS Best XI (2012, 2013) and Defender of the Year (2012) honors.
Internationally, Besler has 25 career appearances for the U.S. Men’s National Team since debuting in 2013. He helped lead the U.S. MNT to the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup title and started all four matches for the U.S. at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. In 2015, Besler started for the U.S. against Chile on Jan. 28 and Panama on Feb. 8 in addition to being on the U.S. MNT roster for a 2-0 victory over Mexico on April 15.
Led by head coach Jurgen Klinsmann, the U.S. will face two of South America’s top teams in preparation for the Oct. 10 playoff against Mexico for a spot in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. The U.S. plays Peru, which finished third in the 2015 Copa America, on Sept. 4 at RFK Stadium in Washington D.C. (6 p.m. CT; FOX Sports 1, UniMas, UDN) and four days later meets five-time World Cup champion Brazil at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. (7 p.m. CT; ESPN Networks, UniMas, UDN).
