17-year-old Nikolas Besagno making big impact on field for Real Salt Lake

In some ways, Nikolas Besagno is like any other teenager. During a Real Salt Lake training session earlier this summer, the 17-year-old strolled in about a half hour late, and his messy hair and heavy eyes were telltale signs he'd slept in.

Besagno quickly warmed up on his own for 10 minutes, and once he finally did join his teammates on the field, he was immediately heckled.

This is what separates Besagno from everyone else his age. When most teenagers sleep in, they miss something like first period English or math. When Besagno sleeps in, he misses a professional soccer practice and is teased by teammates.

If Besagno keeps playing the way he has the past three games, those same teammates might stop treating him like a teenager, because he sure isn't playing like someone who received his driver's license just last year.

While many kids his age are playing video games or just goofing off with friends this summer, Besagno is a starting center back in Major League Soccer, and the former No. 1 overall pick of the 2005 draft is starting to prove he belongs.

It's funny how quickly things can change.

Just 10 days ago, Besagno was fourth on RSL's central defender depth chart, and it was looking less and less like he would make any significant contribution in his second year as a pro. Almost overnight, he's now No. 1 on that depth chart.

The day before losing to FC Dallas on July 22, Real learned that outstanding defender Daniel Torres would miss six weeks with a sprained foot. By halftime of that Dallas match, Torres' replacement, Nelson Akwari, had to leave the game after a violent collision with goalkeeper Scott Garlick in which he injured his hip.

Besagno stepped right onto the field and played admirably in his third career MLS appearance.

Four days later against Chivas USA, he started his first game this year and learned a very valuable lesson in the process.

"I told Nik before the game, 'Ante Razov is going to camp out in front of you even though he's a left-sided striker because (Juan Francisco) Palencia goes back in the midfield, and Ante's not going to line up in front of Douglas (Sequeira). You're going to be his target," said Real coach John Ellinger.

So what happened? Less than 90 seconds into the game, Besagno got caught off guard and Razov slipped in behind him to bury the games's opening goal.

"He learned the hard way," said Ellinger. "My hat's off to him, he got better as the night went on."

That evolving maturity was obvious after the game as well.