From playing at Sporting Park last night to traveling with the United States Men’s National team today, Sporting KC defender Matt Besler and midfielder Graham Zusi have a busy few weeks ahead of them.
“It’s a big month,” Zusi said last night after Sporting KC tied the Houston Dynamo 1-1. “Three qualifiers and a couple tune-up games before that, you’ve got to kind of switch gears now and starting tomorrow, focus on that.”
Their trip will begin with a game against Belgium on Wednesday evening followed by a match against Germany on June 2.
After those first two games, the Men’s National Team will have three FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in a row beginning with Jamaica on June 7, Panama on June 11 and Honduras on June 18.
Zusi and Besler’s travel plans will look something like this: Kansas City to Cleveland to Washington D.C. to Jamaica to Seattle to Utah and finally back to Kansas City when it’s all said and done.
“We’re leaving tomorrow morning so it’s a quick turnaround,” Besler said. “You pretty much have to switch mindsets as quick as you can, take care of your body and get ready.”
It’s a different mentality, they both said, going from playing a full season of games with Sporting KC to making these appearances with the National Team.
“It’s just a different team, a different group of guys,” Besler explained.
“You have to switch over your mindset and focus on that now,” Zusi said. “It’s a different group of guys and you don’t have a ton of time with them before games start up. So going in, the little time you have (you’re) trying to get on the same page as everyone.”
But for Besler, his approach at game time, whether he’s wearing Sporting Blue or the USA jersey, is always the same.
“Maybe there’s more pressure (with the National Team), but I put everything I have into each game, and I try and win every game,” Besler said. “So that mindset doesn’t really change, it’s just the fact that it’s a different group, different coaches and that’s what makes it different.”
You can catch the USMNT’s first two games on ESPN2 (vs. Belgium at 7 p.m. CT on May 29 and vs. Germany at 1:30 p.m. CT on June 2) and the final two FIFA World Cup Qualifiers against Panama at 5:30 p.m. CT on June 11 and Honduras on June 18 at 6 p.m. CT will both air on EPSN.
