Matt Besler
Work Ethic, Confidence, Leadership, Adaptability, Resiliency – Matt breaks down these core values and shares his honest, first-person perspective into exactly what it took to reach the highest levels of the soccer world.
Topic Categories:
- Played 13 seasons in Major League Soccer
- United States Men’s National Team Player in the 2014 World Cup
- Hometown Hero for MLS Team Sporting Kansas City
- MLS Cup Champion and three-time US Open Cup Champion
- Two-time MLS Best XI Player
- Five-time MLS All-Star
- MLS Defender of the Year and MLS Breakout Player of the Year
- Two-Two Gold Cup Champion
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Matt Besler played thirteen seasons in Major League Soccer after being drafted 8th overall in the 2009 MLS Superdraft by his hometown club, Sporting Kansas City. He’s an MLS Cup Champion as well as a three-time US Open Cup Champion. Besler was a two-time MLS Best XI player, five-time MLS All-Star, MLS Defender of the Year, MLS Breakout Player of the Year, and served as captain of Sporting KC for seven years.
Internationally, Besler played for the United States Men’s National Team in 47 games, including all four games at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. He is a two-time Gold Cup Champion and was a member of the 2016 Copa America Centenario team.
Besler is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame where he became the first player in school history to earn first team All-American and first team Academic All-American in the same season.
Besler and his wife, Amanda, currently live in Leawood, KS where they raise their three kids. He works as the Director of Strategic Partnerships at Chicken N Pickle as well as serving as a Blue KC Sporting Samaritan.
At first glance, former professional soccer player Matt Besler achieved something extraordinary in the least extraordinary way. At every level of his athletic career, Besler heard the same questions and initial dismissal of his talent. Even as he made his slow, steady progression into the consciousness of coaches, opponents, fans, then onto the national and world soccer stage, he heard it still:
How does a regular guy like Matt Besler end up playing in the World Cup, one of the most prestigious and exclusive competitions in international sports?
The answer lies within his five core values and his ability to relentlessly pursue them.
Work Ethic, Confidence, Leadership, Adaptability, Resiliency.
In his presentation, Matt breaks down these core values and shares his honest, first-person perspective into exactly what it took to reach the highest levels of the soccer world. Through stories of humor, triumph, struggles, and setbacks, Matt offers enduring lessons that hold value for sports fans and non sports fans alike.
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