Sporting Kansas City captain Matt Besler returned to the starting lineup in last Saturday’s game against Vancouver Whitecaps FC after battling a hamstring injury. Besler told The Border Patrol host Nate Bukaty on Sports Radio 810 WHB this morning that he was glad to be back on the field.
“I felt really good. It was nice to be back on the field with my teammates,” Besler said. “The recovery process is a tough one, and you never want to be on the sidelines watching. I try to take it seriously every single day and use every day as an opportunity to get better. I was trying to make the best of it by getting my body healthy but also mentally recharging and resetting so that when I was able to come back. I was hopefully bringing a bit of added energy and some confidence.”
Bukaty mentioned that Besler received praise from his peers and teammates after Saturday’s game.
“It’s always nice to hear some of those things, especially when it’s coming from your teammates because their opinions matter the most,” Besler said. “I felt comfortable, and a lot of that is because of the guys around me. They did a good job of welcoming me back and making my job easier.”
When discussing the outcome of Saturday’s 1-1 tie, Besler said it was a tricky game to digest. He also said that this was one of the most frustrating endings to a game in his career.
“I can’t think of another ending to a game that was more frustrating right now. If you take into consideration the situation that we are in, the circumstances specifically with that game and the performance we had, the ending was devastating.”
Even though the team is still battling many injuries, there were positives to take away from Saturday’s game to move forward. Besler told Bukaty that he felt the team was in complete control up until the red card to Krisztian Nemeth in the 51st minute.
“I think it was one of our better first half performances all season long. We played exactly how we wanted to play. We talked about what the game should look like and it was exactly what were able to accomplish on the field. For the first 30 minutes, it was a game that was played mostly in their half of the field, which is a good thing for us.”
Up next for Sporting is another home game Sunday against a tough Seattle Sounders FC team that is 7-1-5 and second place in the Western Conference. Besler said he is looking forward to competing against the Sounders.
“Seattle is always a tough team to play because they always compete. They have quite a few experienced players on their team still.”
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