Across The Midwest Pitch - #7

by Matt Besler - Kansas City Wizards


It was a great week of training and very nice to have the weekend off. In training, we focused on a couple things we need to improve on, such as playing early balls forward and being sharper in the final third. We finished off the week on Friday with a competitive inter-squad scrimmage.

Saturday and Sunday (as well as Monday morning) were given off. Coach really wanted us to get away from the game both mentally and physically, so when we come back we are fully recharged and ready to make a run in the second-half of the season.

The guys did various things with their weekend off. Some went back to their hometown to visit with family, others went to visit friends, and most stayed in town and enjoyed what Kansas City has to offer. No matter where everyone was though, there was definitely lots of relaxing going on.

Personally, I was able to get away for two days and visit my girlfriend, Jess, in Chicago. She has an accounting internship downtown at Pricewaterhouse Coopers this summer. It was great to visit Chicago and see her for the weekend. On Saturday, we went to the Rascal Flatts (and Darius Rucker) concert at Wrigley Field. Both Rascal and Darius were great performers and Wrigley was an amazing venue for a concert. My favorite song of the night was “Fast Cars and Freedom” while Jess liked when Rascal did a cover of the Beatles’ song, “Revolution.”

On Sunday, we were able to relax a bit and watch some of the British Open. I have to give a shout out to Tom Watson, a Kansas City native, for a great performance while coming up just short of the Championship. In the afternoon, we got tickets to the Chicago White Sox game vs. the Baltimore Orioles. I had never been to a Sox game before so I loved going to a new ballpark and seeing how it’s different from ones I’ve been to. I was really impressed with US Cellular Field. There is a lot to do and it’s a great place to watch a game. Forgive me Kansas City Royals, but I even bought a new Sox baseball cap.

I came back to KC Sunday evening and relaxed on Monday morning before having practice in the afternoon. After being off for a couple days, it will be nice to get out on the field again and get back to work. We have a huge game at home this Saturday against the red-hot LA Galaxy. Should be an exciting game.

To answer szazzy’s comments from last week about our new player from Hungary...

What's your first impression of Zoltan? What does he bring to the team? Do you have a nickname for him yet? With a name like Zoltan you might need to go the other way with it-maybe something like Bob.

To be honest, I haven’t gotten the chance to see Zoltan much because he has been with the forwards mostly. In our inter-squad, I was matched up against him, and I thought he was a good player. He is very smart and has a good soccer brain. He is also very active with his runs and seems to be able to finish with both feet. Our first nickname for him is “Zoly.” He still doesn’t know much English, so we are trying to help him out and teach him as much as we can. Hopefully he will be able to get acclimated quickly and contribute to our team as soon as possible.

What are your thoughts on this weekend's fixture against the LA Galaxy? Are you prepared to shut down David Beckham and Landon Donovan? - Nathan

This weekend’s game is a big one for us. We are looking to get back on the winning track, especially at home. The Galaxy is arguably the hottest team in the league right now, so we have to be ready to come out with a lot of energy. Obviously, with Donovan and Beckham, who are two of the top players in the MLS, they are very dangerous going forward. We are going to try and limit their influence on the game. As a defender, I’m excited for the challenge and am confident we can shut them down and get a result.

What type of equipment (boots) do you wear? Do you wear different shoes depending on the turf you are playing on? What has been your favorite pair of shoes/boots? - Greg

I wear adidas because it is provided by the league... I do not have a shoe deal with any specific company. (If there’s any companies interested contact me!!! Haha) I like the Predator because they have good leather and don’t break very easily. In games, I prefer to wear metal cleats but sometimes the grass is too short so I have to wear molded cleats. On turf, I have to wear molded. In practice, I usually stick to molded (unless it is really wet) because it is a little easier on your feet.


Kansas City Wizards defender Matt Besler returns with a new installment of 'Across The Midwest Pitch' each Tuesday on MLS Daily. If you have a question that you'd like answered in next week's segment, please send it HERE. Our sincere thanks go out to Matt for taking his time to write each week!