Sporting Kansas City center back Matt Besler and midfielder Ilie Sanchez have landed MLS Team of the Week honors from MLSsoccer.com after guiding the side to a massive 2-0 road victory over Los Angeles Football Club on Saturday.
Besler anchored a backline that successfully stifled LAFC’s potent attack, while Ilie Sanchez steadied the midfield and converted a 66th-minute penalty kick. The end result saw Sporting KC become the first club to defeat LAFC at the new Banc of California Stadium.
Besler, selected among the Team of the Week starters, played an instrumental role in silencing an LAFC offense that entered Saturday with a conference-best 2.05 goals per game. The Sporting KC captain made five clearances, three interceptions, won a pair of duels and completed 44 of 51 passes as LAFC was unable to muster a shot on target until the 80th minute. He also etched his name into the history book, setting an all-time Sporting KC record with his 282nd start in all competitions.
Ilie, who took a spot on the Team of the Week bench, was equally precise with his distribution as Sporting KC’s No. 6, completing 48 of 55 passes. The Spaniard also won four duels and bagged an all-important penalty kick — his fourth of the season — to give his team a 2-0 lead in the second half.
Saturday marked the second straight weekend in which Besler and Ilie spearheaded a stout defensive display for Manager Peter Vermes’ men. Second-place Sporting KC blanked the Houston Dynamo 1-0 on Aug. 4 and now get set for a two-game homestand that begins this Saturday with a pivotal matchup against the third-place Portland Timbers. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. CT on FOX Sports Kansas City Plus, FOX Sports Midwest Plus and FOX Sports GO, and a limited number of tickets for the game are available via SeatGeek.com.
