KANSAS CITY, Mo. – After missing three matches for Sporting Kansas City and a World Cup qualifier with the United States, Matt Besler is eager to get back onto the pitch.
“I'm really looking forward to it,” the veteran center back told MLSsoccer.com on Friday, two days ahead of Sunday's away date with FC Dallas (7 pm ET; FS1). “When something gets taken away from you, and it's not in your control, you realize how much you miss it.”
Sporting's captain sustained a concussion in training with the national team in late March, when he took a ball to the head. He was cleared to play in time for Wednesday's 2-1 home loss to Colorado, but was an unused substitute as Ike Opara went the full 90 in his first start since March 2015.
“I was thinking about bringing Matt on late in the game, but the circumstances changed some of my subs,” manager Peter Vermes told reporters on Friday. “It depended on how the game was going. If the game would have been wide open, it would have put more pressure on Ike, and I didn't want to do that.”
Besler acknowledged some nervous moments during his absence – and not without cause, given the increased focus on the effects of concussions on athletes.
“I was worried,” he said. “I really was. It was a scary situation. It was a serious situation. The first couple of weeks, it was very hard to stay positive in that situation. There are a lot of things that go through your mind.
“It's just a different injury, because with anything else, you ask the trainer, 'What can I do to get better? How long am I going to be out?' And there's answers. With a head injury, there's no answers, because it's different for everybody, and it's something that you can never go back on. Your head and your brain are the most important part of your body, and so you have to be extra-careful.”
Besler's return gives Sporting a solid rotation at center back, even with Kevin Ellis expected to be out eight weeks with a groin strain.
Opara, whose 2015 season ended early with a ruptured left Achilles tendon, was solid against the Rapids – and nearly scored on a header, only to see it cleared off the line. And Nuno Coelho, acquired in the offseason, has taken on several roles in central defense as the only center back to start all six of Sporting's games this year.
Defensive midfielder Lawrence Olum, who has been starting in place of the injured Soni Mustivar, also can play in central defense.
“Right now, I think we're pretty good in that area of the field,” Vermes said. “It's unfortunate that Kevin got injured, because I thought that him getting a couple of games under his belt would really have helped us, going into when Open Cup starts and all that. I just don't think he's going to be ready for our first Open Cup game, but we'll see when that time comes.”
