Matthew Scott "Matt" Besler (; born February 11, 1987) is a former professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

player. Primarily a left-sided central defender, Besler spent the majority of his career in

MLS Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanctioned by the United ...

with

Sporting Kansas City Sporting Kansas City is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The ad ...

, where he helped the team win the 2013 MLS Cup and three U.S. Open Cups. He was the MLS Defender of the Year in 2012 and a five-time

MLS All-Star The Major League Soccer All-Star Game is an annual Association football, soccer game held by Major League Soccer featuring selected players from the league against an international club or selected players from another league. MLS initially ado ...

. From 2013 to 2017, Besler represented the United States national team, including at the

2014 FIFA World Cup The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for list of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil fr ...

Youth and college

Besler was a four-year All-Conference player at Blue Valley West High School in

Overland Park Overland Park ( ) is the largest city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States, and the second-most populous city in the state of Kansas. It is one of four principal cities in the Kansas City metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the pop ...

, Kansas. He led Blue Valley West to the Kansas 5A State Championship as a senior, scoring 23 goals with 19 assists, and was named the 2004 Gatorade Player of the Year in Kansas. Besler was named the 2004 Kansas City Star Metro Player of the Year, and an NSCAA High School All-American. He was also a member of the KCFC Alliance club team and a key member of the Region II Olympic Developmental Program (ODP) alongside United States national team teammate Michael Bradley. Besler competed in the 2004 Adidas ESP Camp and was named an All-Star. Besler played college soccer at the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

, playing in 90 games (73 starts) and scoring 5 goals during his college career. He became the first player in program history to be named an

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

and Academic All-American in the same year. He was named the NSCAA 2008 Senior College Men's Scholar All-America Player of the Year, and was named to the All Big East Team three times. He helped Notre Dame gain four straight berths in the NCAA championship, including the program's first two trips to the quarterfinals in 2006 and 2007.

Professional career

Besler was drafted in the first round (eighth overall) in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft by the

Kansas City Wizards Sporting Kansas City is an American professional soccer club based in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. The administrative offices are located in downtown K ...

. He made his professional debut on March 28, 2009, as an 87th-minute substitute during a 2–1 loss at the

Colorado Rapids The Colorado Rapids are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Founded in ...

. He scored his first professional goal on March 26, 2011, in a 3–2 loss to the Chicago Fire. Besler was named an MLS All-Star team in 2011 for the first time in his career. In 2012, Besler anchored the top defense in MLS with Sporting Kansas City and helped the club win the U.S. Open Cup by converting his attempt after the game against the Seattle Sounders went into penalty kicks. He also was named 2012 MLS Defender of the Year and part of the MLS Best XI. On December 12, 2012, Besler re-signed with Sporting Kansas City on a three-year deal, passing up trial offers from

Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English f ...

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

, and

Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. The team compete in the ...

Besler was announced an MLS All-Star in 2013, as well as in 2014, 2015, and the 2016 MLS All-Star Game. Besler help lead Sporting Kansas City to an MLS Cup Championship in

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

, as well as additional U.S. Open Cup Championships in 2015 and 2017. Throughout the 2018 season, Besler became the all-time leader in each of the club's longevity categories, overtaking club legends such as Davy Arnaud and Kerry Zavagnin for games played, games started, and minutes played both in

play and in all competitions. Kansas City opted not to renew Besler's contract following the 2020 season. On January 6, 2021, Besler signed as a free agent with

Austin FC Austin FC is an American professional soccer club based in Austin, Texas. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 2018, the club began play in the 2021 season. Their home stadium is Q ...

ahead of their inaugural season in

. Following the 2021 season, Besler announced his retirement from playing professional soccer.

International career

On August 23, 2012, Besler was called up to the United States team by head coach Jürgen Klinsmann for a friendly against

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, but he did not appear in the match. Besler made his debut appearance for the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

on January 29, 2013, in a friendly match against

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. Besler became the regular starting left-center back for the

under head coach Jürgen Klinsmann. He was rated the top performer during the 2014 CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying matches. On March 26, 2013, Besler made his debut

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...

qualifying appearance in a 0–0 draw at

. On June 2, Besler started as the United States defeated Germany 4–3 in an international friendly played at

RFK Stadium Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, commonly known as RFK Stadium and originally known as District of Columbia Stadium, is a defunct multi-purpose stadium in Washington, D.C. located on East Capitol Street near the Anacostia River. Opened in 1 ...

. Subsequently, Besler started in the World Cup qualifying wins against

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

, and

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, ...

. After being left off of the initial roster for the

2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup The 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the 12th CONCACAF Gold Cup competition and the 22nd CONCACAF regional championship overall in CONCACAF's fifty years of existence. The United States was the host nation. The competition began on July 7, 2013, at the ...

so that the team could evaluate other players, Besler was added to strengthen the squad after the United States qualified for the knockout round. The team went on to win the 2013 Gold Cup Final against Panama at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. Besler was selected for U.S. national team 23-man roster for the

. He started all three games of the group stage and their Round of 16 game, helping the U.S. make it through the group stage for consecutive World Cups. Following his strong performance in the World Cup, several European outfits placed offers and expressed interest in signing Besler, including

Freiburg Freiburg im Breisgau or simply Freiburg is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fourth-largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, Mannheim and Karlsruhe. Its built-up area has a population of abou ...

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...

and

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...

. However, Besler was awarded a long-term Designated Player contract by Sporting Kansas City. He scored his debut national team goal on September 2, 2016, with an assist from

teammate Graham Zusi. This was the same day his first child was born. Besler was a part of the U.S. national team that won the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Besler made four appearances in the tournament, including a start in the final as the U.S. beat Jamaica 2–1 on a late goal from Jordan Morris as Besler lifted his second international title.

International goals

:''Scores and results list United States' goal tally first.''

Personal

Besler is known throughout his hometown of Kansas City for his willingness to give back to the community. In April 2012, Besler was named W.O.R.K.S. Humanitarian of the month by Major League Soccer. His youngest brother, Nick, was drafted by the

Portland Timbers The Portland Timbers are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Timbers have p ...

5th overall in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft, and currently plays for fellow MLS club

Real Salt Lake Real Salt Lake (RSL) is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Fou ...

. Besler married his wife, Amanda, at Visitation Catholic Church in December 2013, just one week after Besler led Sporting KC to their second ever MLS Cup title. Besler and his wife raise their three children in Leawood, Kansas.

Career statistics

Honors

Sporting Kansas City * U.S. Open Cup:

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

MLS Cup MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the culmination of the MLS Playoffs. The game is held in November or December and pits the winner of the Eastern Conference Final against the winner of the Western Confere ...

United States * CONCACAF Gold Cup:

Individual * Sporting Kansas City Defensive Player of the Year: 2011, 2015 * MLS Defender of the Year:

* MLS Breakout Player of the Year: 2012 *

MLS Best XI The MLS Best XI is an annual acknowledgment of the best eleven players in Major League Soccer. The selection is determined by a collection of media, players, and MLS club technical staffs. Winners Appearances by player The following players ...

: 2012, 2013 *

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

, 2016

References

Notes

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Besler, Matt 1987 births Living people American men's soccer players Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's soccer players Sporting Kansas City players Austin FC players Soccer players from Overland Park, Kansas Major League Soccer players Major League Soccer All-Stars Designated Players (MLS) United States men's under-20 international soccer players United States men's international soccer players Sporting Kansas City draft picks 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2014 FIFA World Cup players Copa América Centenario players 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup players CONCACAF Gold Cup–winning players Men's association football defenders All-American college men's soccer players Catholics from Kansas