FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.—At first glance it may not seem like a big deal, but when you're trying to make a name for yourself independent of a famous brother in the same field, sometimes the little things matter.

When it came time for Notre Dame midfielder Nick Besler, 21, to pick an agent, it would have been easy to go with the same representative used by his older brother, Matt, the Sporting Kansas City and U.S. World Cup defender. After all, Eddie Rock is one of the more well-respected agents in American soccer and this summer he showed his chops, leveraging European interest in Matt into one of the few designated player contracts for an American player in Major League Soccer.

But the younger Besler went his own way and chose instead the Wasserman Media Group, perhaps the biggest agency representing players in this country. "It had nothing to do with (Rock), I just wanted to go a different direction than my brother and carve a different path," Nick Besler said.

That path continued at the MLS combine, where Besler has emerged as one of the top seniors with a legitimate shot at being a top five pick.

"He and Khiry (Shelton of Oregon State) are probably the top two guys among the seniors," said a scout who has followed Besler closely. "He's tough and smart, plays the game simple, and he's a winner."

Besler has been one of the more consistent players here, showing comfort on the ball and good vision. Yesterday he whipped in a perfect corner kick that was headed in by SIU-Edwardsville's Christian Volesky—who has had a solid showing himself and might sneak into the second round—to give Team Nitro Charge an early 1-0 lead.

"I think that was the first corner kick I've taken in like six years," said Besler, who was an All-American as a senior and won a national title as a junior. "I didn't know I could still do it."

Despite having a brother on the team when Sporting began its academy program, Besler never played with the club and is not homegrown eligible.

"They started it before my junior year (of high school) and by then I'd already committed (to Notre Dame) so I just stayed with the same club," he said.

Besler is not opposed to returning home to Kansas City to start his career but figures the odds are slim. First of all, barring a trade, Sporting's first pick is 10th overall and Besler will likely be off the board by then. "Plus they just brought back Roger (Espinoza, the Honduran international) and he plays the same position I do, so I don't think that's a need."

However, one person close to Besler could see him sliding to the back line in MLS.

"He's a very smart player who doesn't complicate the game," said Notre Dame coach Bobby Clark, a former Scotland international. "Strong, tough and sees the field well and pases well, both sort and long balls.

"One of the compliments I can give Nick is that he reminds me of Ryan Nelsen, whom I coached at Stanford. Nick has a lot of the same qualities Ryan had and he played the same position at Stanford that Nick does."

"They both make the game look pretty easy," continued Clark. "And Ryan got switched to the back line and went on to play in MLS and then nine years in the English Premier League as a center back—so maybe Nick will be moved back, too."

Because they are six years apart in age, the Besler brothers have "never played together or against each other," Nick Besler said. "That's something I'm really looking forward to. Either playing together as teammates, which would be cool, or going at it as opponents, which would be brutal. Neither one of us will back down, I can tell you that."

Clark, who also coached Matt at Notre Dame, chuckled when picturing the two going at it. "They'll love each other and be best friends again afterward," he said. "But during the game, no quarter will be given. And none will be asked."

Brooke Tunstall is an American Soccer Now contributing editor and ASN 100 panelist. You can follow him on Twitter.