Notre Dame midfielder Nick Besler has been chosen by the Portland Timbers with the fourth pick in the MLS SuperDraft. Photo/Twitter (@NDMenSoccer)
[dropcap]I[/dropcap]t was never any secret what Nick Besler’s intentions were.
After following in his older brother’s footsteps nearly step-by-step through the same high school and youth clubs to eventually playing — and winning a national championship — at Notre Dame, Besler has finally found his way to Major League Soccer, much like the elder Matt Besler.
But now, he follows his own path.
The Portland Timbers selected the 21-year old midfielder from Overland Park, Kansas and younger brother of Sporting Kansas City captain and US Men’s National Team star Matt Besler with the fifth-overall pick in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft. Like his brother, the younger Besler played for the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame and helped lift the team to the 2013 NCAA championship.
“Nick came in in pretty good shape as far as making an impact as a college player,” Irish head coach Bobby Clark said during an interview with The Pit. “He played a decent amount as a freshman … I would say when he came in as a freshman he was further ahead than Matt maybe because he had a big brother that played at the highest level.”
Before arriving at Notre Dame, Besler followed in his brother’s footsteps through Blue Valley West High School in his hometown. As a high school student-athlete, Besler tallied a school-record of 27 goals with nine assists in 2010 to help his team to the Kansas 6A state title. Besler was named NSCAA All-American, NSCAA 2010 Kansas Player of the Year, ESPNRise.com fall All-American and the Kansas City Metro Player of the Year for his performance during the 2010 campaign.
Overall, the younger Besler registered a school-record of 47 career goals and 24 assists. He is third in most points for school history with 121 points, trailing the elder Besler and Garrett Pulliam.
Like Matt, the younger Nick Besler would continue in his brother’s footsteps to play for the Fighting Irish.
“We liked him a lot because we had seen him a lot. He’d come to our summer camp and he’d come to see his brother play so we were very familiar with him,” coach Clark said.
Clark mentioned that Besler, like many of his athletes, has a very good attitude and is a high achiever both on the field and in the classroom. The midfielder studied management consulting at Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business.
“Nick would be like most of the boys would get; they want to be good and they want to be part of a good team,” Clark said.
Besler appeared in 13 games during his freshman year at Notre Dame in 2011 without tallying a goal or an assist. In 2012, he would earn a starting role as he started in all 22 games for the Irish. He would tally four points on one goal and two assists. Besler was named to the All-Big East Third Team for his role in 2012.
The midfielder’s first collegiate career points came from an assist on the Irish’s third goal in a 6-1 win over Seton Hall. Besler’s lone goal came in a 3-2 overtime victory over Georgetown in the Big East Championship when he netted the equalizer with 32 seconds left in regulation. In the same game, he would assist on the golden goal to clinch the league title.
Besler missed eight games in 2013 due to a leg injury in a meeting with Maryland but started in all 16 games he appeared in. The injury came on October 8 of that year and Besler didn’t return until Nov. 15 when Notre Dame faced Virginia in the semifinals of the ACC Championship.
“He broke his fifth metatarsal and came back within five weeks,” Clark said of Besler’s injury and return. “He made a very swift recovery and I don’t know if he was 100-percent. I think he knew the team needed him and he wanted to be out there.”
Coach Clark said that when Besler has his injury, he didn’t come off the field. He continued to play for the remaining 20 minutes of regulation and the additional two 10-minute extra time periods.
“He’s tough and he wants to play,” Clark added.
The Irish would go on to win the ACC title and eventually the NCAA Championship. Besler didn’t tally any goals throughout the season but his lone assist came in the 40th minute of the national title game on the go-ahead goal to top Maryland, 2-1.
Besler was named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team, NSCAA All-South Atlantic Region First Team and the All-ACC First Team for his role throughout the 2013 campaign. His senior year saw Besler — as a captain — tally a lone goal and two assists to earn All-ACC First Team honors again.
Leading up to last week’s MLS SuperDraft, rumors were rampant that Sporting KC would select Besler if given the chance for the possibility of uniting brothers on the pitch. Portland beat them to the punch and took Besler with the fifth-overall draft pick.
In an interview with The Oregonian/OreonLive after the draft, Besler said that he is excited to prove that he belongs with the Timbers, but will face adversity in an attempt to make Portalnd’s first team. He mentioned that its every player’s dream to earn the honor of joining a team’s 18 and even starting XI, but it is a challenge.
Besler’s college coach agreed. Clark told The Pit that whenever you reach the next level in your sport, there’s always a period of acclimatization.
“He’s got the ability and I think he’s got the confidence,” said Clark. “I think he will be ready pretty quickly and he will be focused from day one.”
Timbers Head Coach Caleb Porter told MLSSoccer.com that Besler will give his club a valuable commodity in the midfield while Will Johnson works his way back from a broken leg while. He added that Besler will also be a versatile piece that can be slotted in at center back.
Portland also selected Andy Thoma (24th-overall, Washington), Christian Volesky (32nd-overall, SIU-Edwardsville) and Kharlton Belmar (34th-overall, VCU) in the MLS SuperDraft.
Besler and the Timbers will play the club’s first preseason contest against Sporting KC on January 31, but the brothers will have to wait to face each other. The elder Matt Besler will still be with the US National Team during the first preseason match.
Portalnd will travel to Kansas City for the first time during the regular season March 21, setting up a brother vs. brother storyline fans will be eager to see play out on the pitch.
*Listen to the upcoming episode of Upon Further Review for the full audio interview with Notre Dame men’s soccer coach Bobby Clark.
