In his customary appearance on Sports Radio 810 WHB this morning, Sporting Kansas City captain Matt Besler tipped his proverbial cap to a longtime Kansas City Chief who has ended his storied tenure with the team as a Super Bowl champion.
NFL punter Dustin Colquitt is Kansas City’s all-time leader in games played, having held an integral role since joining the Chiefs out of the 2005 NFL Draft. He was released from the team on Tuesday, marking the conclusion of a remarkably successful 15-year spell at Arrowhead Stadium.
Much like Besler, Colquitt was lauded not only for his on-field performance but for his philanthropic impact in Kansas City.
“Dustin is a guy that I’ve looked up to in a lot of different ways,” Besler told Border Patrol hosts Steven St. John and Nate Bukaty. “In some ways, he kind of showed me how to conduct yourself (off the field). When I came into the league, he had already established himself in Kansas City in terms of his involvement with the community. He obviously established himself on the field very quickly, too. He’s been a guy who I’ve always tried to follow because he sets such a great example.”
Besler and Colquitt have worked together on multiple charity projects over the years, demonstrating pride for Kansas City as active members in the community.
In addition to reflecting on Colquitt’s legacy, Besler harkened back to the Kansas City Wizards’ unforgettable friendly against Manchester United in July 2010 at Arrowhead Stadium. The contest, widely considered a turning point in Kansas City soccer history, will stream exclusively on SportingKC.com tonight at 7 p.m. CT for viewers in Kansas, Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska.
“It’s one of the defining moments in the history of our club,” Besler said of the Man United match, which the Wizards won by a 2-1 scoreline in front of 52,424 fans. “It was right before we rebranded (to Sporting KC) and right before the stadium opened up.
“Leading up to the game, it had the feel of being just a friendly. It was going to be a really cool opportunity for us players and for the entire city to go up against Manchester United, one of the biggest clubs in the world.”
Going into the game, Besler assumed the friendly would give Manager Peter Vermes the opportunity to give lots of Kansas City players time on the field against a superior opponent. However, the feel of the game shifted within the first 20 minutes and became a super-competitive spectacle.
To make matters more memorable for Besler, he was afforded his opportunity to make an impact in the game when center back Jimmy Conrad received a red card late in the first half.
“A lot of it probably had to do with the fans’ reactions,” Besler said. “There were certainly a lot of Manchester United jerseys in the stadium, and we figured that would be the case. But once the game started, it was like the entire crowd started getting behind us. We could just feel this energy shift, and we really started playing extremely well.”
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