Nikolas Besagno (born November 15, 1988) is an American former

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

player who is currently the manager of

Washington Crossfire Crossfire Redmond, previously the Seattle Wolves and Washington Crossfire, is an American soccer organization based in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 2009, the team plays in the National Premier Soccer League, the fourth tier of t ...

of the

USL Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league syste ...

Career

Professional

One of the most touted young players in the country, Besagno became the first overall pick of the

2005 MLS SuperDraft The 2005 MLS SuperDraft, held in Baltimore, Maryland on January 14, 2005, was the sixth incarnation of the annual Major League Soccer SuperDraft. Expansion club Real Salt Lake had the first pick as the result of a coin toss (fellow newcomers C.D. ...

when he was drafted by his former United States Under-17 coach and then Salt Lake boss

John Ellinger John Ellinger (born October 4, 1951) is a former American soccer coach of the Under-17 United States men's national soccer team, and former head coach of Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer. Ellinger played collegiately at Frostburg State Univ ...

. At the age of 16, Besagno, who signed a

Generation Adidas Generation Adidas is a joint venture between Major League Soccer and U.S. Soccer aimed at raising the level of young professional soccer talent in the United States. The program, sponsored by Adidas, offers professional-ready players in the U.S. ...

contract with MLS, became the second-youngest player in league history to be drafted, behind 2004's number one overall choice, 14-year-old

Freddy Adu Fredua Koranteng Adu (born June 2, 1989) is an American professional soccer player who played as an attacking midfielder. The last club he played for was Ettan Fotboll club Österlen FF. From before the time of his signing with D.C. United at th ...

. In June 2008, Real Salt Lake loaned Besagno for ninety days to the

Seattle Sounders Seattle Sounders Football Club is an American professional men's association football, soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The club w ...

of the

USL First Division The USL First Division (usually referred to as USL-1) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States and Canada from 2005 to 2010. During its existence, it formed the second tier of soccer in the United States soccer league system b ...

. His older brother Jacob Besagno had previously spent two seasons with Seattle. On November 24, 2008, Besagno was released by Real Salt Lake. Besagno started 2009 in camp with

Seattle Sounders FC Seattle Sounders Football Club is an American professional men's soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete as a member of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The club was established on November 13, 2007, and began ...

, but was cut toward the end of January. Having been unable to secure a professional contract, Besagno signed with

Tacoma Tide Sound FC is an American soccer team based in Tacoma, Washington. Founded in 2006, the team most recently played in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. History 2006–2009: Playoffs The Tacoma team was introduced i ...

of the

for the 2009 season. Besagno was playing for PDL rival. On January 1, 2013 , Besagno retired.

International

Besagno, a graduate of the

Bradenton Academy IMG Academy is a preparatory boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As t ...

, was a regular for the Under-17

United States national team The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

, and later moved up to the Under-20 squad. In 2005, he played two games for the USA U-17 team at the

2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship The 2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship, the eleventh edition of the tournament, was held in the cities of Lima, Trujillo, Chiclayo, Piura and Iquitos in Peru between 16 September and 2 October 2005. Players born after 1 January 1988 could participa ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Besagno, Nikolas 1988 births Living people People from Maple Valley, Washington Sportspeople from King County, Washington Soccer players from Washington (state) American soccer players American soccer coaches Association football midfielders Real Salt Lake players Seattle Sounders (1994–2008) players Seattle Sounders FC U-23 players Kitsap Pumas players Washington Crossfire players Major League Soccer first-overall draft picks Major League Soccer players USL First Division players USL League Two players United States men's youth international soccer players Real Salt Lake draft picks