When the Quakes host Eastern Conference leaders Sporting Kansas City on Sunday, it will be a reunion for defenders Justin Morrow and Matt Besler. Morrow and Besler played for three years together at the University of Notre Dame and were recently together at the U.S. Men's National Team's January camp. We caught up with the guys to reminisce and dig up a little dirt.
SJEarthquakes.com: What was it like playing with each other at Notre Dame?
Besler: JMO was a great teammate to have. He was in the class behind me and he was someone that everyone got along with. He was a great guy to have on the team and I really enjoyed working hard with him and going through three years of college with him.
Morrow: It was always great to play with Bes. He took me under his wing and showed me the ropes. I always had fun playing with him in college and I knew he was really good because I'd go up against him defensively and he'd give me a hard time and stopped me a couple times
SJEQ:What was it like being at the U.S. Men's National Team camp together in January?
Besler: It was a special moment for us both of us. We are very proud of going to Notre Dame and playing for Notre Dame. We had fun with it. We really enjoyed those three or four weeks together. We caught up a lot and we got a chance to go out to eat with our old friends based in LA.
SJEQ:What's something that fans might not know about Besler?
Morrow: Around a lot of people he is really quiet, but once he gets comfortable he is really outgoing and he is a jokester. A lot of people don't know that but he is a huge prankster.
SJEQ:What was your best prank you pulled in college?
Besler: I had a big car at school and it was good in the snow so everyone used my car. One night, Bright Dike (Portland Timbers forward) asked to use my car to take a girl out for a date. I let him borrow my car and a couple of us guys hid in the trunk so we could listen in on him and make sure he was saying all the right things. We waited until they got to dinner and then hopped out of the car and left. We got a lot of good stuff to use against him for the rest of the year.
SJEQ:What was Morrow's hair like at Notre Dame?
Besler: It was really short so on a roadtrip his freshman year, we shaved fake cornrows into his head as a freshman initition.
SJEQ:Who was the better student?
Morrow: Definitely Bes. He was pre-med. He was always in the library. I'm not naturally smart- I just work hard. He is a genius. I'll give him that one.
Besler: I will say that I spent a little too much time studying.
SJEQ: When you two play against each other do you throw out any insults from college?
Morrow: laughs Maybe we do, but I will keep that under wraps. He is a good country boy.
