Sporting Kansas City defender Matt Besler started his third consecutive match for the United States Men's National Team as they defeated Panama 1-0 to win the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Brek Shea provided the game-winning goal in the 67th minute as the USA had nearly 70% of possession and a 16% higher passing accuracy than Panama. The victory will qualify the USA into a playoff (vs the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup champion) to be the CONCACAF representative at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. Overall, it's been an impressive summer for the USMNT who are currently on an 11 match winning streak.
For a closer look at Besler's performance from Sunday's final, check out some excerpts from player ratings below.
ESPNFC.com (Jeff Carlisle)
"Had some dynamic clearances, and was sharp on the ball. Did get caught out on one through ball, but the attack came to nothing. Raised his game a notch in the second half. "
Soccer America (Ridge Mahoney)
"He gave the Panamanians something to think about when he neatly evaded a tackle in his defensive third just seconds into the game. A ball down the flank to Marcos Sanchez caught him upfield -- maybe a blown offside trap? -- but that was his only shaky moment. He stepped into tackles confidently, trapped a partial clearance to hit a shot that was blocked, and hit a few nice balls up the channel for Corona and Johnson to work with. "
MLSSoccer.com (Greg Seltzer)
"Apart from the above incident that saw him badly lose a mark, was a steady guard at the back."
Goal.com (Allen Ramsey)
"Very assured showing once again as the USA dominated possession. Dealt well with Perez and Torres, but had a couple of loose passes out of the back as well."
