Matt Besler

5. Matt Besler Defender | Club: Sporting Kansas City In a back line rife with uncertainty and a lack of experience, Besler seems to be the only player

Liviu Bird | Jun 2, 2014

Matt Besler /

5. Matt Besler

Defender | Club: Sporting Kansas City

Age	Hometown	Height	Weight	Goals	Caps
27	Overland Park, Kans.	6-1	170	0	16

In a back line rife with uncertainty and a lack of experience, Besler seems to be the only player assured of his starting spot. The 27-year-old, who helped Sporting Kansas City to an MLS Cup title in 2013, is also a relative newcomer to the international level. He rarely shows it, though, remaining composed in any rough environment the U.S. plays.

OUTLOOK: Besler was the steadiest defender in qualifiers, and the U.S. needs him to stay true to form and anchor the back line. Regardless of whether it is Geoff Cameron or Omar Gonzalez starting alongside him, Besler will have to pull the strings and be a leader to keep the line steady no matter if the U.S. is tied, ahead or trailing.

Meet the 23: Complete roster breakdown

Published Jun 2, 2014

LIVIU BIRD

Liviu Bird is a soccer analyst with more than 20 years of experience in the game. He learned how to play in the streets of Romania before moving to the soccer wilderness of Fairbanks, Alaska, escaping to play collegiately as a goalkeeper at Highline Community College and Seattle Pacific University, where he also earned his B.A. in journalism. Bird played semiprofessionally and had tryouts at professional clubs but hung up his gloves in 2012 to focus on writing and coaching at the youth and collegiate levels. He joined Sports Illustrated in March 2013 as a freelance contributor and has also written for NBC Sports, Soccer Wire, The New York Times, American Soccer Now and the Telegraph (UK).