In his weekly appearance on Sports Radio 810 WHB this morning, Sporting Kansas City captain Matt Besler was quick to express his excitement of the fact that MLS regular season matches are back on the horizon.
After competing in the MLS is Back Tournament last month, Sporting will resume the 2020 regular season campaign Aug. 21 at rivals Minnesota United FC. Major League Soccer’s return to home markets will see all clubs play 18 more matches between now and Decision Day on Nov. 8, with Sporting set to return to Children’s Mercy Park on Aug. 25 against the Houston Dynamo.
Sporting will play six matches between Aug. 21 and Sept. 13—including three at Children’s Mercy Park—with the remainder of the league schedule to be released in the near term.
“It was positive news to see the schedule come out and exciting to be able to put stuff on the calendar,” Besler told Border Patrol hosts Nate Bukaty and Steven St. John. “We can start preparing for actual opponents and start getting into some of the specific game plans.
“We will end up having about three weeks of training before this first game against Minnesota on the 21st. If you take a look at the schedule—the schedule is crazy. We’re playing six games in three weeks and it’s a game almost every three days. There’s not going to be a ton of actual practice time in between these games, so this three-week period is really important for our preparation for the rest of the season.”
Sporting’s preparation at Compass Minerals National Performance Center has evolved since the club returned to Kansas City after falling in the quarterfinal round of the MLS is Back Tournament to the Philadelphia Union in Walt Disney World.
“The first week back was a general week of getting back into it physically, and we worked really, really hard,” Besler said. “This week we focused on the defensive side of the ball and we’ve made some really good strides in that department. Next week I assume we’ll transition to more of the offensive side and getting ready for the Minnesota game.
“Once the games start rolling in, it’s going to be crazy. It’s going to start happening fast and we’ve got to be ready for it.”
