Two Sporting Kansas City players joined Sports Radio 810 WHB this week ahead of Saturday's road match against the Colorado Rapids.
Ilie, who opened his MLS scoring account in last Saturday's 3-2 home win over the San Jose Earthquakes, caught up with The Sporting KC Show hosts Nate Bukaty and Carter Augustine on Tuesday night. The Spanish midfielder's charisma was on full display during an interview that touched on the English classes with his Spanish-speaking teammates, his role as Sporting KC's penalty kick taker, the tremendous impact of fellow midfielder Felipe Gutierrez and the challenging test that awaits in Colorado.
On Wednesday morning, captain Matt Besler made his weekly appearance on The Border Patrol with Bukaty and Steven St. John. While the center back is delighted by Sporting KC's excellent attacking form — the club is tied for the MLS lead with seven goals — he is also laser-focused on helping the backline shore up after conceding seven times in the first three games.
"Two wins out of three games is a great way to start the season," Besler said. "Guys are finishing off their chances, and the biggest thing for me is that we're getting a lot of numbers into the box. When you do that, you're just increasing your chances to score.
"Since we're throwing more numbers into the box, there's an adjustment you have to make because there are different spaces to defend. That's something we have to improve on, but it's also a great adjustment to make. Because we're getting numbers forward and we're scoring goals because of it."
Listen to the entirety of both podcasts below. Saturday's showdown between Sporting KC and Colorado will kick off at 8 p.m. CT, airing live on FOX Sports KC, FOX Sports Midwest Plus, ESPN 94.5 FM (English) and ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM (Spanish).
Tuesday night: Ilie on the Sporting KC Show
Wednesday morning: Matt Besler on The Border Patrol