Biography

BIOGRAPHY

Sacha Bryan Kljestan was born on September 9, 1985 in Huntingtion Beach, California. He is a midfielder in Major League Soccer. 

Kljestan was raised in Huntington Beach, California, and played for the Region IV Olympic Development Program team. He played three years of college soccer at Seton Hall University in New Jersey under former United States national team coach Manfred Schellscheidt. He was named NCAA Division I First-Team All-America in 2004 and earned third-team honors in 2005. Kljestan was named Big East Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 2005 and earned first-team All-Big East in 2004 and 2005. He holds the single-season assists record at Seton Hall with 15 in 2005 and ranks fifth all-time at the school with 28 over a three-year career. Kljestan finished his college career with 20 goals and helped Seton Hall University to three NCAA Tournament appearances. 

Kljestan signed a Generation adidas contract with MLS, and played USL Premier Development League soccer for Orange County Blue Star in 2005. Kljestan was taken fifth overall at the 2006 MLS SuperDraft.  Kljestan was a finalist for 2006 MLS Rookie of the Year as he appeared in 32 league matches for Chivas and recorded seven assists.  He was nominated for the Starting XI in the 2008 MLS All-Star Game, but chose instead to play for the U.S. Olympic Team in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. His performance for club and country drew attention from many clubs overseas, and he left the U.S. team's winter training camp in mid-January 2009 to go on trial beginning January 17 at Celtic, the Scottish Premier League reigning champions. After the trial he returned to Chivas and continued his fine form as he made 25 league appearances during the 2009 season and scored 5 goals and provided three assists. He began the 2010 season with Chivas before being transferred to top Belgian side Anderlecht. In his time with Chivas, Klejstan finished with fifteen goals and 33 assists in 114 league matches. 

In June 2010, Kljestan signed a four-year contract with 2009–10 Belgian Pro League champions Anderlecht. He made his competitive debut and scored his first goal in the same game on July 27, 2010 in a 3–1 win over Welsh club The New Saints in the third qualifying round of the 2010–11 UEFA Champions League. In his first season in Belgium he appeared in 34 matches across all competitions scoring 3 goals and helped Anderlecht capture the 2010 Belgian Super Cup. While at Anderlecht, Kljestan was converted from his traditional number 10 role to a holding midfielder; where he partnered with Argentine Lucas Biglia. Together the two formed a strong partnership which lead Kljestan to his first-ever title, winning the Belgian Pro League in 2012. He quickly became a fan favorite as supporters began to call him "Mr. USA" and bring US flags to the stadium to show praise for the team's only American player. The following three seasons he remained a key player as Anderlecht captured three consecutive Belgian Pro League and Belgian Super Cuptitles. In March 2013, Kljestan signed a new three-year contract with Anderlecht. During the 2013–14 campaign Kljestan scored a career-high 9 goals as he appeared in 30 matches. Kljestan was honored with a pre-match ceremony in his final match with the club on February 1, 2015, against Zulte Waregem. The supporters held up United States flags and banners thanking him for his years with the club. He made a total of 180 appearances for the club, scoring 25 goals, before leaving the club in the winter of 2015. 

In January 2015, it was announced that Anderlecht had agreed to transfer Kljestan to New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer. He made his debut for New York on March 8, 2015 appearing as a starter in a 1–1 draw at Sporting Kansas City. On April 17, 2015, he scored his first goal for New York in a 2–0 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes. His 14 league assists tied a club record with Thierry Henry and Eduardo Hurtado for the most assists in an MLS season.  For the 2016 season, he recorded 20 assist.  Kljestan joined Carlos Valderrama as the only two players to reach the 20 assist mark in a single MLS season.  On February 15, 2017, he was named as the new captain of the Red Bulls replacing Dax McCarty. On July 19, 2017, Kljestan scored his first league goal of the season and recorded two assists for New York in a 5–1 victory over San Jose Earthquakes. 

On January 3, 2018, New York Red Bulls traded Kljestan to Orlando City SC, along with $150,000 of Targeted Allocation Money, in exchange for Carlos Rivas and Tommy Redding. He made his Orlando debut in a 2–0 away defeat to New York City FC on March 17. On April 8, Kljestan scored his first goal for the club, a game-tying penalty in a 3–2 win over Portland Timbers. He acted as captain for the majority of his debut season in the absence of Jonathan Spector. Kljestan's contract expired at the end of the 2019 season. 

Kljestan was part of the United States Under-20 team at the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship.  He also played for the US Under-23s at the 2008 CONCACAF Men's Pre-Olympic Tournament and scored in a 3–0 win against Canada to send the US Under-23s through to the Olympics.  He started all three games and finished the tournament as the United States' highest goal scorer with 2.  His equalizer against the Netherlands in the 2–2 draw was voted goal Best U.S. Men's Soccer goal of 2008.  Kljestan made his debut for the senior national team under his former club coach Bob Bradley on June 2, 2007.  Later that summer Kljestan was a member of the US squad that participated in Copa América 2007. He made regular appearances as a central midfielder and contributed three assists in qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Kljestan scored a hat trick in a 3–2 friendly victory over Sweden on January 24, 2009, his first three goals with the senior team. Although he made the preliminary 30-man squad he was not picked for the final 23-man roster for the 2010 World Cup.  After the hiring of Jürgen Klinsmann as national team manager in 2011, Kljestan was selected less often for the national team despite his consistent play with Anderlecht and the Red Bulls. He was not selected in the US squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.  In August 2016, Kljestan received his first call-up in over two years for the United States' 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago. On September 2, Kljestan appeared as a second-half substitute and provided one goal and two assists in a 6–0 victory over St. Vincent and the Grenadines. In the following match on September 6, Kljestan scored his second goal of the qualifiers against Trinidad and Tobago helping the United States win their group and qualify for the Hex.

On December 11, 2019, Kljestan signed as a free agent for LA Galaxy ahead of their 2020 season.