Sporting Kansas City captain Matt Besler made his customary appearance on Sports Radio 810 WHB this morning, joining The Border Patrol hosts Nate Bukaty, Steven St. John and Jake Gutierrez to recap Sunday's momentous 3-2 road win over Seattle Sounders FC and look ahead to Saturday's pivotal home tilt against rivals Real Salt Lake at Children's Mercy Park.
Besler was especially complimentary of Erik Hurtado, who made the most of his first MLS start of the season by scoring the game-winner and providing a physical presence as Sporting's center forward. He also acknowledged that last weekend's result will mean nothing if the team falls to Real Salt Lake this Saturday at home.
"I don't want to say it was a must-win, but we were getting pretty close to that point," Besler said of the battle in Seattle. "For us to go on the road and play the way we did was big. Felipe Gutierrez had a huge game, Hurtado was monstrous and Seth Sinovic had a really good game. It's a big result for us, so hopefully it can give us a lot of confidence going forward."
Wednesday's conversation opened on the topic of the English Premier League, which kicks off a new season Friday as Liverpool hosts Norwich City. When pressed to divulge which Premier League side he likes the most, Besler went with Manchester United due to his past run-ins with the heralded club. As a college player at Notre Dame, he received a recording from former United manager Sir Alex Ferguson giving the Fighting Irish well wishes. As a professional, Besler went head-to-head against the Red Devils in a 2010 friendly at Arrowhead Stadium and again in the 2012 MLS All-Star Game.
Listen to the full podcast below.
Saturday's showdown between Sporting and RSL will kick off at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets for the Western Conference tilt remain available at SeatGeek.com as Sporting hosts its third annual Sporting Salutes, an immersive military appreciation night held in partnership with Hallmark that recognizes past and present service personnel and their families across all branches of the United States Armed Forces.
FOX Sports Kansas City Plus, FOX Sports Midwest Plus and FOX Sports GO will provide three hours of live coverage on beginning at 7 p.m. CT, while Sports Radio 810 WHB and ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM will air live radio broadcasts. The Final Whistle postgame show will also air immediately afterward on 810 WHB.
