When Sporting KC defender Matt Besler was selected for his first U.S. Men’s National Team January Camp in 2013, he never could have forecasted how the next 24 months would play out. The Kansas native was coming off an MLS Defender of the Year season, but had not yet received a call from U.S. MNT head coach Jurgen Klinsmann.
That January, Besler joined current Sporting KC teammates Graham Zusi, Benny Feilhaber and Brad Davis for a three-week training camp that culminated with a friendly against Canada at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston. Besler played 90 minutes in a scoreless draw and parlayed the strong showing into a starting spot for the squad during the final round of World Cup qualifying as well as the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
Fast forward three years and Besler is no longer the new man on the block. The Sporting KC captain is in Carson, California, for his fourth straight January camp and is now tasked with leading a group of defenders that, excluding recent addition Brad Evans, has a combined two senior national team caps.
The January camp will run through Feb. 6 and will include friendlies against Iceland on Jan. 31 and Canada on Feb. 5. Both matches will be played at StubHub Center in Carson.
