Sporting Kansas City defender Matt Besler and the United States Men’s National Team will square off with New Zealand in an international friendly on Tuesday at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CT on ESPN and UniMas as the United States plays its final tune-up before opening the Hexagonal next month with a pair of colossal matches against Mexico and Costa Rica.
Given the proximity of November’s World Cup qualifiers, competition is fierce for spots in head coach Jurgen Klinsmann’s setup. Besler was not selected to the U.S. squad for Friday’s 2-0 victory at Cuba but now has the opportunity to secure his place for the final run of international matches in 2016.