LAUDERHILL, Florida – Nick Besler knows you can’t stop talking about his older brother.
The projected top-10 pick in Thursday’s MLS SuperDraft sees the stories. He’s aware that every mention of him is immediately followed by the obligatory shout-out to his famous sibling Matt Besler, the Sporting Kansas City star and US national team defender.
And while the Notre Dame midfielder doesn’t mind sharing a piece of his pre-draft limelight with his big bro, he’s eager to make a name for himself, too.
“I do hear it a lot,” Besler told reporters on Friday at the 2015 adidas MLS Player Combine. “Obviously there’s the connection there. We both play soccer, both went to [Notre Dame], stuff like that. Sure, it can get annoying at times, but it’s nothing he did on purpose, obviously.”
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One of eight seniors to sign contracts with MLS earlier this week, Besler is finding his way through the draft process mostly on his own. He said he’s only spoken briefly about what to expect with Matt, who was selected by Kansas City – the Besler’s hometown club – in the first round of the 2009 SuperDraft.
“It’s a great resource for me, someone who six years ago did the same exact thing, and was kind of in the same position,” Besler said. “I definitely use that resource, but at the same time I’m somewhat independent, so I like to feel things out for myself.”
On the field, Nick is quite different than Matt. He plays higher up than his center-back brother, slotting in at defensive midfielder. He was a standout there during his four seasons at Notre Dame, leading a highly-ranked Fighting Irish squad and earning second-team All-America honors in 2014.
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He looked good at the position during the first match of the Combine on Friday, showing deft feet and solid defensive skills for Team Nitro Charge in their scoreless draw with Team Predator.
He’ll look to continue to improve upon his strong showing on Sunday, when he and his Nitro Charge teammates will face off against Team adiZero in the first match of a Combine doubleheader at Central Broward Regional Park.
“I’d say I’m a very reliable player, a guy who is very technically sound, a smart player who’s usually in the right position,” Besler said. “I just like to keep the ball. Whenever our team needs to keep possession, I think I can string passes together. I’m pretty sound defensively, as well. I’m kind of that holding midfielder that can break up plays, get the ball for our team and then keep it.”
