Kljestan, Sacha

Position: Midfielder
Date of Birth: 09/09/1985
Height: 6' 1"   Weight: 150 lbs
Pro Team: Anderlecht
College Experience: Seton Hall
Caps: 38
Goals: 4

At all levels, Sacha brings an attacking mentality to his position and is a confident shooter.

In 2007 he really broke out as a club player, being an integral part of Chivas USA'a counter-attacking machine and setting up several goals for Ante Razov and Maykel Galindo. Made his senior international debut in an exhibition game against China, then went on to make two starts at the Copa America.  Using the January 24th friendly against Sweden as a springboard, Kljestan scored three goals and ended up a regular for the 2009 World Cup Qualifiers.  

Kljestan left Major League Soccer in June of 2010 to sign with Belgian champions Anderlecht.

"My dad helped me a lot. He used to play, and when I was little he would always take me to the park whenever I wanted to and played with me and always encouraged me to try different things. Not just be a normal soccer player, but a creative dude. He helped me a lot in that aspect and has always been there for me, supporting me since I was a kid." from 10 Questions With Sacha Kljestan

National Team Experience
2012: Played against Italy on Feb 29th. Subbed on in the second-half in the Oct 12th World Cup Qualifier against Antigua & Barbuda. Subbed on against Russia in the second-half on March 14th.
2011: Made a substitute appearance against Paraguay on March 29th. Named to the Gold Cup squad, subbing in against Mexico in the final. 
2010: Played in the January friendly against Honduras. Scored against El Salvador on Feb 24th. Played in the Sendoff Series against the Czech Republic. Called in for the Brazil friendly where he was a second-half substitute on Aug 10th.
2009: Started and scored all three goals against Sweden in a 3-2 win on January 24th. He became only the second player in National Team history and the first since 1934 to get a hat-trick in the game where he also got his first goal.  Played in the June 3rd Qualifer against Costa Rica.  Regular sub during the Confederations Cup run.
2008: Called in to January training camp, then came on as a second half substitute in 2-0 win over Sweden at the HDC, Carson.  Represented the United States as a member of the US Olympic Team.
2007: Made his debut against China in June and named to the Copa America roster where he started against Paraguay and Colombia.  Made four appearances overall (three starts).
2005: Member of the Under-20 National Team and played in the World Youth Championship.

Professional Experience
2010-11: Signed with Anderlect in Belgium.
2010: Signed with Anderlecht in June.  He finished his stint with Chivas USA with 112 games and 15 goals.
2009: Trained with Scottish Premier League club Celtic in January.
2008: Named to the All-Star Team.  Didn't play due to Olympic commitments. One of the bright spots for a Chivas USA team that finished second in the West but exited in the first round of the playoffs.
2007: Played a huge role on the Chivas USA team that won the Western Conference title, scoring four goals and registering 13 assists in 27 starts overall, only missing time for the Copa America.
2006: Drafted by Chivas USA and a candidate for rookie of the year. Played in 34 games overall (32 starts), registering eight assists.

College: Played three seasons for Seton Hall, earning All-American honors in 2004.