Matt Besler surely enjoyed his side's 3-0 victory over FC Dallas last weekend.
Sporting Kansas City went on the road to earn a huge victory, elevating SKC to first place in the Western Conference with just one game left. It leaves FCD in third heading into Decision Day presented by AT&T. On Tuesday, Besler joined Sports Radio 810 WHB to discuss the result and didn't hold back.
“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, and they were pissed because they were losing.” Besler told 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.”
In the 14th minute, Jesse Gonzalez saved Ilie Sanchez's penalty with the game scoreless. The scenes before the spot-kick, though, stirred Besler's emotions.
"They had about three or four guys that came and surrounded (Sanchez)," Besler said. "One of the Dallas guys actually just came up and started kicking up the turf right on the penalty kick spot. That's what got me fired up, too. I was trying to get these guys away from Ilie and try to get this guy away from kicking up the dirt. That's just ridiculous. It's just those little things throughout the game."
In a game that had five yellow cards, the passion didn't dissipate after the first penalty. After Johnny Russell, who scored in the 89th minute, was substituted out deep into stoppage time, he was in no rush to leave the field when his number was flashed on the fourth official's board. The Dallas players were none too pleased with his lethargic route to the bench, something that Besler found to be hypocritical.
"The reason I was so mad is because they did the exact same thing to us," Besler said. "A few months ago they came into Kansas City, they wasted so much time in the game, and they actually beat us 3-2. Not that we were trying to do the same thing to them, I just found it funny. Johnny was just doing what everybody does when you get subbed off the field. ... They just got upset with it. I don't know. I loved it, it was some taste of their own medicine. It got me fired up."
All in all, the SKC captain was proud of how his side dug in and grinded out a win.
"If you guys want to play this kind of game, we can play it too. And we can play it better than you guys," Besler said. "Whatever game you want to play, we can play it too, and that showed on Sunday. We were able to walk out of there with a 3-0 victory."
Besler's Tour de Force didn't stop in Dallas – it sent a few shots to Los Angeles. SKC host LAFC on Decision Day, where the winner will take first place in the conference. Besler, after speaking positively of the work Bob Bradley and the franchise has done in their remarkable expansion season, had a few words for LAFC co-owner Will Ferrell. He recalls a moment when SKC traveled to the Banc of California Stadium earlier this year.
"In the middle of the game there was this big cheer, and I was trying to focus on the game, but I looked up and Will Ferrell is just doing one of his crazy faces and his dances, being goofy like he always is, up on the big screen," Besler said. "I just started laughing right in the middle of the game, like, this is crazy right now."
Besler expects to see Ferrell at Children's Mercy Park on Sunday and says if the game was in Los Angeles, he knows his club's owners would be there.
"This is the official call out right now: Will Ferrell, let's go, you have to be in Kansas City," Besler decreed.
The gauntlet has been laid.
