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 preview Saturday’s home opener against rivals Houston Dynamo at Children’s Mercy Park.
Besler and Sporting are poised to make their first home appearance in over five months, having endured a long offseason after the 2019 campaign ended in early October. With a momentous 3-1 road win over Vancouver Whitecaps FC in the books, Sporting has returned to Kansas City with confidence and a yearning to play in front of its passionate fans.
Supporters at Children’s Mercy Park are likely to see Mexican striker Alan Pulido and Israeli midfielder Gadi Kinda for the first time. Both players joined Sporting as marquee additions this winter and marked their MLS debuts with goals against Vancouver. Kinda was particularly effective last weekend at BC Place, bagging an MLS Goal of the Week nominee and earning MLS Team of the Week honors.
“What you saw in the game is pretty much what we’ve been seeing every day from him on a consistent basis,” Besler said of Kinda. “I remember coming onto the show during preseason and telling you this guy is a player. I was trying to keep the expectations somewhat reserved—I didn’t want to blow him up without having played a game. But he’s a player that we’re really excited about and he continues to impress us on a daily basis with some of the stuff that he does. I’m really happy for him to have played the way he did and scored that goal. His ability and talent level is really high.”
Listen to the full podcast below.
Besler and Sporting will kick off at 7:30 p.m. CT and a limited number of standing-room only tickets are available at SeatGeek.com. Fans can also catch the action live on FOX Sports Kansas City, FOX Sports Midwest Plus, FOX Sports GO, Sports Radio 810 WHB and La Grande 1340 AM.
