A decade ago, Matt Besler was close to becoming a Premier League player. Twice. But he turned down moves to Fulham and Sunderland so he could stay in his beloved Kansas City with his family.
Besler played a total of 12 seasons with his hometown club and won four major U.S. trophies. He earned 47 caps for his country and appeared for the men’s national team under Jurgen Klinsmann at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
He has no regrets, but he knows he turned down the chance to play in the home of one of his sport’s superpowers, and he has told Sky Sports news he considers England to be among the very strongest nations right now, and one of the handful of favorites to win this World Cup.
“I think England is a real contender,” Besler said.
“I feel like every major tournament has the talent to do that, but recently – in the last six or eight years – they’ve really turned a corner in terms of mentality and belief that they can actually win these big tournaments. We’ve seen that with some of their results.
“I think this World Cup they are in contention and certainly one of the favourites.”
I met Besler on a humid Sunday lunchtime outside a small retail park in Kansas City, just before he was going to his grandmother’s 90th birthday party.
Besler spoke to Sky Sports News reporter Rob Dorsett
Perfectly mowed expanses of lawn spread along the quiet tree-lined streets. It reminded me of the opening scene in Alone at homewith trimmed picket fences and immaculately painted flat-board houses. Only instead of snow and Christmas lights, there was an expanse of clear blue skies, carefully cultivated garden flowers and porch swings.
The entire extended family had to be at this special birthday celebration, and that sense of belonging has played a big role in Besler’s career decisions.
Locally, he is a celebrity, but people don’t bother him much. Such is the numbing suburb where he chose to stay and school his young family.
Besler played a total of 12 seasons with his hometown club and won four major U.S. trophies
‘Pochettino the right man for Team USA’
But — like many people in this part of Missouri — his local pride burns just as strongly as his sense of national identity. He waxes lyrical about the feeling of the single greatest sporting event on the planet being staged in his own backyard, and how, while not all Kansas people understand the intricacies of the beautiful game, there is a genuine passion for sports more generally, and a single-minded support for Team USA.
However, the 39-year-old is far from confident about his nation’s prospects at the tournament, saying the jury is still out on the job that former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino is doing in charge of the American team.
Besler played 47 games for the United States
“For him, it’s a bit mixed, to be honest. I think he’s getting used to the American [soccer] culture still. But in terms of his CV, managing in big moments, managing big players in tournaments – he has it all. For us, I think he’s the right man for the job and we’ll see how far he can take us.
“I’m a little nervous right now about our group [of players]. We are a little inexperienced. But I think expectations are higher than they’ve ever been. Hosting a World Cup adds some pressure, but I think it’s a huge advantage to have the whole country behind you. I think it will give our country a big boost.
“We’ve only made one quarter-final ever so I think to get to a semi-final would be incredible and once you get to the semi-final anything can happen from there.”
‘We need full stadiums at the World Cup’
Besler played for Team USA in the 2014 World Cup
Besler is aware of the furor around the world over ticket prices for this tournament, and is not a fan of the way FIFA has handled things.
However, he points out that Americans are used to the vagaries of dynamic pricing for major sporting events, where getting into a routine NFL game can cost upwards of $200 if you want to avoid a nosebleed, and where a ticket to this week’s NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs sells for over $6,000 used.
“We need full stadiums. It’s part of the World Cup,” insists Besler.
“It’s the world’s game and everyone needs to feel like they have an opportunity to enter a fight. And so if people feel they’re priced out, that’s unfortunate.
“It still feels expensive. I don’t know how the dynamic ticket pricing works, but I would say hopefully we can get to a place where people can afford tickets, because again – we need full stadiums.”
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