A decade ago, Matt Besler was close to becoming a Premier League player. Twice. But he turned down moves to Fulham and Sunderland so he could stay in his beloved Kansas City with his family.
Besler played a total of 12 seasons at his hometown club, winning four major US trophies. He got 47 caps for his country and featured for the men’s national team under Jurgen Klinsmann at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
He has no regrets but he knows he rejected the chance to play in the home of one of his sport’s super-powers, and he has told Sky Sports News he considers England to be among the very strongest nations right now, and one of the handful of favourites to win this World Cup.
“I think England is a true contender,” Besler said.
“I feel like every major tournament, they have the talent to do it, but recently – in the past six to eight years – they’ve really turned a corner in terms of mentality and belief that they can actually win these big tournaments. We’ve seen that with some of their results.
“I think this World Cup they are in contention and certainly one of the favourites.”
I met Besler on a humid Sunday lunchtime outside a small retail park in Kansas City, just before he was due to go to his grandmother’s 90th birthday party.
Besler discussed England’s chances at the World Cup, Pochettino’s impact with the United States, the expectations of the host nation and the impact of this summer’s tournament
Besler spoke to Sky Sports News reporter Rob Dorsett
Perfectly mown expanses of lawn spread alongside the quiet tree-lined streets. It was reminiscent of the opening scene in Home Alone, with trim picket fences and immaculately painted flat-boarded houses. Only instead of snow and Christmas lights, there was an expanse of clear blue sky, carefully cultivated garden flowers and swing-seats on the verandas.
The whole extended family was to be at this special birthday celebration, and that sense of belonging has played a big part in Besler’s career decisions.
Locally, he is a celebrity, but people do not bother him much. Such is the soporific suburbia where he chose to stay and school his young family.
Besler played a total of 12 seasons at his hometown club, winning four major US trophies
‘Pochettino the right man for Team USA’
But – like many people in this part of Missouri – his local pride burns equally brightly alongside his sense of national identity. He waxes lyrical about the emotion of the biggest single sport event on the planet being staged in his own backyard, and how, even though not all Kansas folk understand the intricacies of the beautiful game, there is a real passion for sport more generally, and a single-minded support for Team USA.
The 39-year-old is, however, far from certain about his nation’s prospects in the tournament, and says the jury is still out on the job former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino is doing in charge of the US team.
Besler made 47 appearances for USA
“For him, it’s a little mixed if I’m being honest. I think he’s getting used to the American [soccer] culture still. But in terms of his CV, managing in big moments, managing big players in tournaments – he has all of that. For us, I think he’s the right man for the job and we will see how far he can take us.
“I’m a little bit nervous right now about our group [of players]. We are a little inexperienced. But I think the expectation is higher than it’s ever been. Hosting a World Cup adds some pressure, but I think it’s a huge advantage to have the entire country behind you. I think that will give our country a big boost.
“We’ve only made it to one quarter-final ever, so I think making it to a semi-final would be incredible to achieve that, and once you get into a semi-final anything can happen from there.”
‘We need full stadiums at World Cup’
Besler featured for Team USA in the 2014 World Cup
Besler is aware of the furore worldwide surrounding the ticket prices for this tournament, and is no fan of the way FIFA has handled things.
However, he points out that Americans are used to the vagaries of dynamic pricing for big sporting events, where to get into a routine NFL game can cost upwards of $200 if you want to avoid the nosebleeds, and where a ticket for this week’s NBA finals between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs are selling second-hand for over $6,000.
“We need full stadiums. That’s part of the World Cup,” insists Besler.
“It’s the world’s game, and everybody needs to feel like they have an opportunity to attend a match. And so if people are feeling they are priced out, that’s unfortunate.
“It still feels expensive. I don’t know how the ticket dynamic pricing works, but I would say hopefully we can get to a place where people can afford tickets, because again – we need full stadiums.”
Watch World Cup: One Week To Go on Sky Sports News from 5pm to 7pm on Thursday
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