On the eve of Sporting Kansas City's first-leg clash against Independiente in the Conacacaf Champions League Quarterfinals, captain Matt Besler made his customary appearance on Sports Radio 810 WHB with Border Patrol hosts Nate Bukaty and Steven St. John.
With games coming thick and fast, Sporting are poised for their away match in the space of seven days, all of which have taken place in a different time zone and a different country. Last Thursday's successful Champions League visit was followed by Sunday's MLS season opener at LAFC, which saw the visitors concede in the final minute to fall 2-1.
Besler thinks his side is more thank capable of bouncing back against Independiente, but is ware of the threat the Panamanian side poses in the Champions League. After all, Independiente earned a stunning 4-0 first-leg home win over Toronto FC on Feb. 19 to pull off the biggest Round of 16 upset, eventually prevailing 5-1 on aggregate.
"On paper it seems like a favorable matchup for us, but if you watched any of that Toronto series, some of it is really eye-opening with what Independiente was able to do in that first leg," Besler said. "If we're not careful and focused right from the start, the same thing could happen to us. We've got to make sure that doesn't happen."
Bukaty, who has joined Besler and Sporting for the globetrotting trip as the side's play-by-play announcer, provided further insight from Panama as the team aims to continue its impressive start in North America's premier club tournament.
Wednesday's contest will kick off at 7 p.m. CT at Estadio Agustin Sanchez in La Chorrera, Panama, streaming live on YahooSports.com and the Yahoo Sports app. Univision Deportes will televise the game live in Spanish, while listeners can follow the action locally on Sports Radio 810 WHB.
Listen to the full podcast below.
