Matt Besler was fired up on Sunday afternoon.
In the final moments of a 3-0 win over FC Dallas at Toyota Stadium, just as his teammate Johnny Russell was being subbed off, the Sporting Kansas City captain erupted into an animated applause.
A feisty encounter between fierce Western Conference rivals—one in which numerous altercations between players nearly reached boiling points—had resulted in Sporting KC running away to an emphatic victory.
“You saw me in a raw moment, really fired up because we were on the road against Dallas, we were winning 3-0, and they were complaining about everything we were doing,” Besler recalled during his Tuesday morning appearance on Sports Radio 810 WHB with hosts Nate Bukaty, Steven St. John and Jake Gutierrez. “They were mad at everything we were doing, and that feels good. That got me pumped up, and that’s what you saw.”
Besler, who landed MLSsoccer.com Team of the Week honors for his roles in helping Sporting KC take six points from a phenomenal road swing in Vancouver and Dallas last week, will carry that excitement into Sunday’s pivotal regular season finale as first-place Sporting KC hosts second-place LAFC on MLS Decision Day, presented by AT&T.
In order to clinch first place in the West, Sporting KC must win or draw against LAFC in a 3:30 p.m. CT kickoff on FS1 and FOX Deportes—one of 11 MLS matches set to kick off simultaneously during Decision Day as the 2018 regular season campaign comes to a close.
“There are many different scenarios going on with who is going to finish first, who is going to make the playoffs and who is going to get home field,” Besler said. “Everything is decided on the last day. Everybody kicks off at the exact same time, so if you’re a casual sports fan, I recommend tuning in at some point during this Decision Day. Some teams are fighting for seeding, other teams are fighting for a playoff spot or byes, and there’s going to be a lot going on in a two-hour window.”
Sporting KC can still finish anywhere between first and fourth in the West. While a win or draw would seal first place, a loss would see the side drop to at least second, and potentially as low as fourth. The top two seeds will earn Knockout Round byes to the two-legged conference semifinals, playing away in the first leg on Nov. 4 and hosting the second leg on Nov. 11. The No. 3 and No. 4 seeds will host a single-elimination Knockout Round match on either Oct. 31 or Nov. 1 against the No. 6 and No. 3 seeds, respectively.
“Not only do we want to qualify for the playoffs, we want to get home field advantage in the playoffs,” Besler said. “The people here in Kansas City deserve playoff soccer, and we’re happy to give that to them. Now it’s about getting that bye.”
Tickets for Sporting KC's regular season finale against LAFC are available via SeatGeek.com, and the first 5,000 fans through the gates will receive a free pop socket courtesy of match sponsor PNC Bank. Sunday will also see the club host its Fan Appreciation Match. Thousands of giveaways will be offered exclusively through the Sporting KC Uphoria app, including but not limited to:
- A pair of 2019 Sporting KC season tickets
- Player-autographed merchandise
- VIP experiences
- 50 percent off authentic jerseys
- Discount offers at SportingStyle and concessions
Listen to the full podcast below.
