Sporting Kansas City captain Matt Besler joined Sports Radio 810 WHB on Tuesday morning for his customary appearance with Border Patrol hosts Nate Bukaty, Steven St. John and Jake Gutierrez.
Besler and Sporting KC bounced back into the win column on Saturday with a 1-0 home victory over Dom Dwyer and Orlando City SC, a game that saw Besler partner MLS debutant Andreu Fontas in central defense. Manager Peter Vermes' men now look forward to this weekend's road trip to the San Jose Earthquakes, slated for 9:30 pm. CT Saturday at Avaya Stadium.
The Earthquakes sit at the bottom of the Western Conference and have become the first team to be mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. However, San Jose owns two wins over first-place FC Dallas this season, and Besler believes Saturday's showdown will be an absolute battle.
When asked if the San Jose matchup was a trap game, Besler instead suggested that it could be one of the tougher tests during the stretch run of Sporting KC's season.
"In this league, I would never call a road game a trap game," Besler said. "Anytime you go on the road, it's a very difficult test. Yes, San Jose has the worst record in the league and they're the only team mathematically eliminated (from the playoffs). But does that work in their favor in this game? Sometimes when this happens, teams go out and they play relaxed. You play free because there's no pressure, and you have some younger guys who might come in and play well because they're trying to win roster spots for next year.
"There are a lot of different factors that go into it, and it doesn't necessarily make it an easy game for us. It will actually be a harder game."
Manager Peter Vermes' men currently occupy second place in the West, one point behind leaders FC Dallas, with seven regular season contests remaining.
Listen to the full podcast below.
