Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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IRISH IN THE PROS BY ANDREW OWENS U nlike many of his United States teammates on a squad that reached the knockout round of the World Cup, Matt Besler never dreamed he would ever perform on the globe's largest stage while growing up in Overland Park, Kan. Soccer had always been more than just a hobby, but never did he imagine that he would compete with family and friends on hand while he represented his country in Brazil. "I was just dreaming about becom- ing a professional soccer player," Besler said. "I didn't care where I played or what team I played on. I just wanted to play and become a profes- sional athlete. Once that happened, that's when I refocused some of my goals. I would say making the World Cup team became a reality probably two or three years into my profes- sional career." Before Besler played in rainfor- ests, he became the first Notre Dame player to be honored as a first-team All-American and first-team Academic All-American while benefiting from the tutelage of Irish head coach Bobby Clark. Less than five years after gradu- ating with a pre-med degree, he be- came the first Notre Dame alumnus to represent the United States at the World Cup. "Coach Clark's influence on me, and the school and the program's influ- ence on me are immense," Besler said. "They prepared me better than any other program could do, the way that Coach Clark runs his team and what he requires of us, his players. He basi- cally runs it like a professional envi- ronment. "When I got drafted [in the first round by the Kansas City Wizards in 2009], the transition for me was easy. I had seen a lot of the things you do as a professional for four years being around Coach Clark and the program. There's a couple differences, but for the most part I was very comfortable because I felt prepared." Besler, the 2012 MLS Defender of the Year and an All-Star in 2011 and 2013 with Sporting Kansas City, has been a regular in international play for head coach Jurgen Klinsmann since January 2013. He helped the U.S. sur- vive the vaunted "Group of Death" — Germany, the eventual World Cup champion; Portugal, the No. 4-ranked team in the world; and Ghana were the team's round-robin opponents — in three starts and held off a relentless Belgium attack before a late pair of goals eliminated the U.S. "There's a lot I'll remember," he said. "It was a one- or even two-year process with so many different things that came together in 15 days down in Brazil. There's a lot that was put into it, but overall I was honored that I got the opportunity to represent my Matt Besler Shines On World's Largest Stage For Soccer