Sporting Kansas City center back Matt Besler is turning a corner.
The defender has been sidelined since suffering a hamstring injury in a home match against Orlando City SC on Sept. 23. After two weeks of rehab, the 12th-year defender is on the cusp of a return to training.
“I’m feeling much better,” Besler told Sports Radio 810 WHB during his appearance on The Border Patrol this morning. “In my experience, I’ve had a few of these over the years and this is the real turning point—anywhere from around 10 to 17 days. I’m kind of right in the middle of really turning the corner and feeling much better and much stronger. I’ve been able to push it a little more this week. Tomorrow I’ll hopefully be able to get back on the field, start practicing and get involved.”
This particular strain, Besler said, was caused by a deep contusion in his leg. The native Kansan has experienced multiple hamstring strains in the past and believes he’s well on his way to a full recovery.
“The biggest issue has been getting all of the swelling out,” Besler said. “After the first 10 days of getting all of that fluid out of the hamstrings, we were focused on getting the strength back. Once we did that, I started recovering a lot quicker.
“Dry needling is a big technique that the medical team has used. It’s an active form of acupuncture that targets the muscles. The glute activations have also been really (important) because those are the most important protectors of your hamstrings. The medical staff here at Sporting takes care of everyone and they do a great job.”
Sporting is in the midst of a historically busy stretch that packs nine regular season fixtures in a 30-day period. With games coming thick and fast, Besler said the health of the squad will be of utmost importance between now and Decision Day on Nov. 8.
“I get the feeling already that something like this has never been done before,” Besler said of the fixture congestion. “I know there’s going to be lots of games, but let’s just embrace it as a team. The camaraderie of coming together as a team—sometimes when things are rolling and you’re playing one game per week, sometimes you’ve almost got a separation between starters and reserves. That’s inevitable on every team and there’s no getting around it, but in this case you’re forced to integrate everybody.
“We all have to be ready. It’s something we’ve never experienced before, but we have a really good group to do it. We’ve always been close and everyone so far this season has gotten some really good experience, even if it’s just a game or two here or there. Hopefully we can use this to our advantage.”
