It was a familiar place for Real Monarchs midfielder Nick Besler, but for the first two years of his professional soccer career, he would walk the halls of Providence Park in Portland as a member of the Portland Timbers and Timbers 2. On Saturday, it was his first match out of the ponderosa green of the Timbers as he suited up for his debut with the Monarchs against his former club in the USL opener.
He made it a memorable one, scoring the game-winning goal in a 2-1 Monarchs victory to open the season. Entering the 2017 season, the Monarchs took the approach of bringing in experienced USL players to help develop talent and push for first-team opportunities.