Sacha Kljestan

Sacha Bryan Kljestan (born September 9, 1985) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a midfielder.

He is currently a host on MLS 360.

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 improved his performance in his second year as he recorded four goals and provided 13 assists in 25 matches, helping Chivas to a first-place finish in the Western Conference.

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 Cup titles.

In March 2013, Kljestan signed a new three-year contract with Anderlecht.

In a Champions League group stage match against Paris Saint-Germain, Kljestan and Zlatan Ibrahimović traded insults, when Ibrahimović made fun of Kljestan's mustache.

In response, Kljestan made fun of Ibrahaimović's large nose.

Kljestan was ultimately sent off in the later stages of the match.

In the final game of the group against Olympiacos; Kljestan became only the fifth American to score in a Champions League match.

During the 2013–14 campaign Kljestan scored a career-high 9 goals as he appeared in 30 matches.

Although he had one of his best statistical seasons, he slowly lost his regular spot in the lineup and became a bench player during the final weeks of the season.

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.

On July 1, 2015, he helped the Red Bulls advance in the U.S. Open Cup, scoring one goal and assisting on another in a 4–1 victory over local rival New York Cosmos.

On August 1, 2015, he scored the opening goal for New York on a penalty kick and assisted on another helping New York to a 3–1 away victory over Philadelphia Union.

On October 7, 2015, he scored on another penalty kick to help the Red Bulls to a 2–1 victory over Montreal Impact.