Matt Besler: Sporting high on confidence heading into MLS is Back Tournament Round of 16

Two days after finishing atop Group D of the MLS is Back Tournament and two days prior to a crucial Round of 16 battle against Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Sporting Kansas City captain Matt Besler made his customary appearance on Sports Radio 810 WHB this morning with Border Patrol hosts Nate Bukaty, Steven St. John and Jake Gutierrez.

Besler was pleased with Sporting’s overall performance in the group stage, which yielded two wins, a loss and a knockout round berth. Sporting also occupies the summit of the Western Conference standings and sits a single point behind Columbus Crew SC in the Supporters’ Shield race.

“When you look at the big picture, we won our group, which was objective No. 1,” Besler said. “We were able to get six points because the group games counted toward the regular season. I think we’re in a really good position with the fact that we’ve advanced and given ourselves a chance to win the tournament.

“We’re also in first place right now in the Western Conference. We put ourselves in a really good position, and now it’s all about throwing everything on the table in these knockout rounds and seeing how far we can advance.”

The 12th-year defender was impressed by Wednesday’s 2-0 win over Real Salt Lake, a match in which Besler was rested as Manager Peter Vermes rotated his squad. The result ultimately vaulted Sporting to the top of Group D and, as Besler put it, gave confidence to several players who have received less playing time thus far.

“We had some rotation with guys who really stepped up,” he said. “That was Gianluca Busio’s first start of the tournament and I though he played well, gave us good energy. Graham Smith in the back was as good as ever, consistent and helped the team keep a clean sheet which was huge. Probably the biggest takeaway from me was the impact the subs had. Every single sub we made came on, had a positive impact and changed the game for us. I think there are a lot of positives from the Salt Lake game that will give us confidence—defensively, scoring goals, belief from the subs.”

Sporting is now faced with the challenge of an 11 p.m. local time kickoff against Vancouver, just four days after the side navigated the challenges of a 9 a.m. local time start versus RSL. Besler said he didn’t have a good idea about how the late start might affect the team, simply because Sporting has never taken the field for a competitive match at that time of the day.

“Again, it’s something we’ve never had to do before, so I can’t really predict what it’s going to be like. It’s crazy to think that if you get up at 8 or 9 o’clock, you’ve still got 14 hours before the game kicks off. It’s going to be interesting to see how we approach it. You’ve got to find something to do during the day. You can’t just sit around all day and relax. You’ve got to get in a light gym session or a pool workout in the morning, then put your feet up and relax the rest of the day.”

Sunday’s Round of 16 contest is set for 10 p.m. CT with live coverage on FS1 and Sports Radio 810 WHB.