Sacha Kljestan
Encyclopedia
Sacha Kljestan (born September 9, 1985 in Anaheim, California
) is an American
soccer player who currently plays for Anderlecht
in the Belgian First Division.
at Seton Hall University
. 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. He then 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
.
. 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 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 has drawn 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.
On April 25, 2007, Kljestan was suspended for two games and fined $1,000 for "a serious foul play". Kljestan fouled Real Salt Lake
midfielder Andy Williams
in the second half of Chivas USA's 4-0 win on Saturday, April 21, and received a yellow card. Although the referee saw the incident and exercised his on-field judgment not to award a red card, a serious injury to Williams resulted. In this circumstance, the MLS
disciplinary committee reviewed the play and concluded that the challenge was an unequivocal red card offense and egregious.
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.
team at the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship
. He had entered the U-20 program in 2004, earning a total of 16 caps, scoring 1 goal with the team up to 2005. In early 2007, Kljestan was called into training camp with the senior U.S. national team
, but did not earn a cap
in the following games. Kljestan made his debut for the senior national team on June 2, 2007, tallying an assist on Benny Feilhaber's winning goal, a 4-1 friendly match victory over China in San Jose
, California. Kljestan was selected to Peter Nowak's roster for the U-23 Olympics in Beijing. He started all three games and finished the tournament as the United States' highest goal scorer with 2, an equalizer against Holland in the 2-2 draw,which was voted goal Best U.S. Mens Soccer goal of 2008, and a penalty against Nigeria in the 2-1 loss that knocked them out of the tournament. Since then he has been starting consistently for the United States under Bob Bradley as a central midfielder and has two assists (three total) in World Cup Qualifying. In a 3-2 victory over Sweden
on January 24, 2009, Kljestan scored a hat trick
, his first three goals with the senior team. The only other American to notch a hat trick in the same game as his first international goal was Aldo "Buff" Donelli
who scored four goals on May 24, 1934. It was also the 11th hat trick in national team history. On February 24, 2010, Kljestan scored a 92nd minute goal that won the USA a friendly against El Salvador. Sacha proceeded to celebrate what was his 4th national team goal in emotional fashion. The goal, along with Kljestan's performance, was enough to keep Kljestan in contention for a World Cup spot. He was not picked in the final 23 man roster for the 2010 World Cup, but featured in a friendly against Brazil on the next international fixture date.
|2006||rowspan="5"|Chivas USA||rowspan="5"|Major League Soccer
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|2007
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|2008
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|-
|2009
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|-
|2010
||10||1||0||0||0||0||0||0||10||1
|-
|2010–11||rowspan="2"|Anderlecht
||rowspan="2"|Belgian Pro League||25||2||2||0||1||0||4||0||32||2
|-
|2011–12
||12||2||0||0||0||0||6||0||18||2
114||15||3||0||8||1||0||0||125||16
37||4||2||0||1||0||10||0||50||4
151||19||5||0||9||1||10||0||175||20
Last updated November 15, 2011
Statistics accurate as of match played November 15, 2011
once played an Open Cup
match for the New York Red Bulls and currently plays for FC Tampa Bay Rowdies in USSF Division 2. Kljestan's father Slavko Klještan, an ethnic Serb
from Bosnia, was a semi-professional player in Željezničar Sarajevo
.
Kljestan, along with Frank Lampard
and Cuauhtémoc Blanco
, was featured on the North American cover of FIFA 10
.
Individual
Anaheim, California
Anaheim is a city in Orange County, California. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was about 365,463, making it the most populated city in Orange County, the 10th most-populated city in California, and ranked 54th in the United States...
) is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
soccer player who currently plays for Anderlecht
R.S.C. Anderlecht
Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht, usually known as Anderlecht or RSCA , is a Belgian professional football club based in Anderlecht in the Brussels Capital Region. Anderlecht plays in the Belgian Pro League and is the most successful Belgian football team in European competitions as well as in the...
in the Belgian First Division.
Youth and College
Kljestan played for the Region IV Olympic Development Program team. He then played three years college soccerCollege soccer
College soccer is a term used to describe association football played by teams who are operated by colleges and universities as opposed to a professional league operated for exclusively financial purposes...
at Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University is a private Roman Catholic university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by Archbishop James Roosevelt Bayley, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan university in the United States. Seton Hall is also the oldest and largest Catholic university in the...
. 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
Big East Conference
The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of sixteen universities in the eastern half of the United States. The conference's 17 members participate in 24 NCAA sports...
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. He then signed a Generation adidas
Generation adidas
Generation adidas is a joint venture between Major League Soccer and U.S. Soccer aimed at raising the level of young soccer talent in the United States. The program, sponsored by adidas, encourages early entry of American players into MLS...
contract with MLS, and played USL Premier Development League
USL Premier Development League
The USL Premier Development League is the amateur league of the United Soccer Leagues in the United States, Canada, and Bermuda, forming part of the American Soccer Pyramid...
soccer for Orange County Blue Star
Orange County Blue Star
Orange County Blue Star is an American soccer team based in Irvine, California, United States. Founded in 1997, the team plays in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference.The team plays its home games at...
in 2005. Kljestan was taken fifth overall at the 2006 MLS SuperDraft
2006 MLS SuperDraft
The 2006 MLS SuperDraft, held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on January 20, 2006, was the seventh incarnation of the annual Major League Soccer SuperDraft. The first selection originally belonged to C.D. Chivas USA, but they traded it to the MetroStars for the fifth overall selection and Jason...
.
Chivas USA
He was a finalist for 2006 MLS Rookie of the Year and played for the US in Copa América 2007Copa América 2007
The 2007 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, known simply as the 2007 Copa América or 2007 Copa América Venezuela, was the 42nd edition of the Copa América, the South-American championship for international association football teams...
. He also played for the US Under-23s at the 2008 CONCACAF Men's Pre-Olympic Tournament
2008 CONCACAF Men's Pre-Olympic Tournament
The 2008 CONCACAF Men Pre-Olympic Tournament was an association football tournament that took place in three venues in the United States from March 11 to March 23, 2008....
and scored in a 3-0 win against Canada to send the US Under-23s through to the Olympics.
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 has drawn 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
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
, the Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
reigning champions.
Controversy
On April 25, 2007, Kljestan was suspended for two games and fined $1,000 for "a serious foul play". Kljestan fouled Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake is an American professional soccer club based in Sandy, Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake City. The team competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. They currently play their home games at Rio Tinto Stadium. Real Salt Lake won...
midfielder Andy Williams
Andy Williams (soccer)
Andrew "Andy" Williams is a Canadian-born Jamaican footballer who currently plays for Real Salt Lake in Major League Soccer.-College:...
in the second half of Chivas USA's 4-0 win on Saturday, April 21, and received a yellow card. Although the referee saw the incident and exercised his on-field judgment not to award a red card, a serious injury to Williams resulted. In this circumstance, the MLS
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
disciplinary committee reviewed the play and concluded that the challenge was an unequivocal red card offense and egregious.
Anderlecht
In June 2010, he signed a 4-year contract with 2009–10 Belgian First Division2009–10 Belgian First Division
The 2009–10 season of the Belgian Pro League was the 107th season of top-tier football in Belgium. The season began on 31 July 2009 with the first matches of the regular season, and ended in May 2010 with the last matches of the playoff round...
champions Anderlecht
R.S.C. Anderlecht
Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht, usually known as Anderlecht or RSCA , is a Belgian professional football club based in Anderlecht in the Brussels Capital Region. Anderlecht plays in the Belgian Pro League and is the most successful Belgian football team in European competitions as well as in the...
. 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
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
club The New Saints in the third qualifying round of the 2010–11 UEFA Champions League.
International
Kljestan was part of the United States Under-20United States U-20 men's national soccer team
The United States U-20 men's national soccer team is the national under-20 soccer team of the United States of America and is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation. The highest level of competition in which the team competes is the FIFA U-20 World Cup, which is held every two years.The...
team at the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship
2005 FIFA World Youth Championship
The 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship took place in The Netherlands between 10 June and 2 July 2005. The 2005 championship was the 15th contested.- Venues :- Qualification :The following 24 teams qualified for the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship...
. He had entered the U-20 program in 2004, earning a total of 16 caps, scoring 1 goal with the team up to 2005. In early 2007, Kljestan was called into training camp with the senior U.S. national team
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
, but did not earn a cap
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
in the following games. Kljestan made his debut for the senior national team on June 2, 2007, tallying an assist on Benny Feilhaber's winning goal, a 4-1 friendly match victory over China in San Jose
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
, California. Kljestan was selected to Peter Nowak's roster for the U-23 Olympics in Beijing. He started all three games and finished the tournament as the United States' highest goal scorer with 2, an equalizer against Holland in the 2-2 draw,which was voted goal Best U.S. Mens Soccer goal of 2008, and a penalty against Nigeria in the 2-1 loss that knocked them out of the tournament. Since then he has been starting consistently for the United States under Bob Bradley as a central midfielder and has two assists (three total) in World Cup Qualifying. In a 3-2 victory over Sweden
Sweden national football team
The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...
on January 24, 2009, Kljestan scored a hat trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
, his first three goals with the senior team. The only other American to notch a hat trick in the same game as his first international goal was Aldo "Buff" Donelli
Aldo Donelli
Aldo "Buff" Teo Donelli was an American football and soccer player. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.-Club:...
who scored four goals on May 24, 1934. It was also the 11th hat trick in national team history. On February 24, 2010, Kljestan scored a 92nd minute goal that won the USA a friendly against El Salvador. Sacha proceeded to celebrate what was his 4th national team goal in emotional fashion. The goal, along with Kljestan's performance, was enough to keep Kljestan in contention for a World Cup spot. He was not picked in the final 23 man roster for the 2010 World Cup, but featured in a friendly against Brazil on the next international fixture date.
International goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | January 24, 2009 |  United States Home Depot Center, Carson, CaliforniaCarson, California Carson is a city in Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, Carson had a total population of 91,714. Located south of downtown Los Angeles and approximately 14 miles away from the Los Angeles International Airport, it is known as a suburb of the city.... |
1–0 | 3–2 | Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
|
| 2 | 2–0 | |||||
| 3 | 3–1 | |||||
| 4 | February 24, 2010 | United States Raymond James Stadium Raymond James Stadium Raymond James Stadium, also known as the "Ray Jay", is a multi-purpose football stadium located in Tampa, Florida. It is home to the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers as well as the NCAA's South Florida Bulls football team. The stadium seats 65,857 , and it is expandable to 75,000 for special events... , Tampa, Florida Tampa, Florida Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709.... |
2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly | |
- Goals scored by Kljestan are marked as bold in the "Score" column.
Club
|-|2006||rowspan="5"|Chivas USA||rowspan="5"|Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
||32||0||1||0||2||0||0||0||35||0
|-
|2007
2007 Major League Soccer season
The 2007 Major League Soccer season was the 12th season in league history. The season began on April 7 and concluded with MLS Cup 2007 on November 18, 2007 at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in Washington, D.C.....
||25||4||1||0||2||0||0||0||28||4
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|2008
2008 Major League Soccer season
The 2008 Major League Soccer season was the 13th season in league history. The season began on March 29 and ended with MLS Cup 2008, on November 23 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, California.-Changes from the 2007 season:...
||22||5||1||0||2||1||0||0||25||6
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|2009
2009 Major League Soccer season
The 2009 Major League Soccer season was the 14th season of Major League Soccer. The season began on March 19 and ended with Real Salt Lake winning the MLS Cup 2009, on November 22 at Qwest Field in Seattle, Washington-Changes from the 2008 season:...
||25||5||0||0||2||0||0||0||27||5
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|2010
2010 Major League Soccer season
The 2010 Major League Soccer season was the 98th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer, the 32nd with a national first-division league, in the United States and Canada, and the 15th in MLS history. It began on March 25 at Seattle's Qwest Field with Seattle Sounders FC defeating the expansion...
||10||1||0||0||0||0||0||0||10||1
|-
|2010–11||rowspan="2"|Anderlecht
R.S.C. Anderlecht
Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht, usually known as Anderlecht or RSCA , is a Belgian professional football club based in Anderlecht in the Brussels Capital Region. Anderlecht plays in the Belgian Pro League and is the most successful Belgian football team in European competitions as well as in the...
||rowspan="2"|Belgian Pro League||25||2||2||0||1||0||4||0||32||2
|-
|2011–12
2011–12 Belgian Pro League
-Personnel and sponsoring:-During summer break:-During regular season:-League table:-Positions by round:Note: The classification was made after the weekend of each matchday, so postponed matches were only processed at the time they were played to represent the real evolution in standings.-Results:...
||12||2||0||0||0||0||6||0||18||2
114||15||3||0||8||1||0||0||125||16
37||4||2||0||1||0||10||0||50||4
151||19||5||0||9||1||10||0||175||20
Last updated November 15, 2011
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States United States men's national soccer team The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF... |
|||
| 2007 2007 in American soccer The 2007 season was the 95th year of competitive soccer in the United States.-National team:The home team or the team that is designated as the home team is listed in the left column; the away team is in the right column.-Table:... |
4 | 0 | |
| 2008 2008 in American soccer The 2008 season was the 96th year of competitive soccer in the United States.-National team:The home team or the team that is designated as the home team is listed in the left column; the away team is in the right column.-Playoffs:... |
8 | 0 | |
| 2009 2009 in American soccer -National team:The home team or the team that is designated as the home team is listed in the left column; the away team is in the rightcolumn.-MLS Cup:-Table:Purple indicates league title clinched.... |
9 | 3 | |
| 2010 2010 in American soccer The 2010 Season was the 98th season of competitive soccer in the United States.- National teams :The home team or the team that is designated as the home team is listed in the left column; the away team is in the right column.-Friendly matches:... |
4 | 1 | |
| 2011 2011 in American soccer The 2011 Season is the 99th season of competitive soccer in the United States.- National teams :The home team or the team that is designated as the home team is listed in the left column; the away team is in the right column.-Senior:... |
9 | 0 | |
| Total | 34 | 4 | |
Statistics accurate as of match played November 15, 2011
Personal life
His brother GordonGordon Kljestan
Gordon Kljestan is a retired American soccer player.-College and Amateur:Kljestan played one year of college soccer for Cal State Fullerton, prior to transferring to Seton Hall University where he played from 2004 to 2006...
once played an Open Cup
Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is a knockout tournament in American soccer. The tournament is the oldest ongoing American soccer competition and is presently open to all United States Soccer Federation affiliated teams, from amateur adult club teams to the professional clubs of Major League...
match for the New York Red Bulls and currently plays for FC Tampa Bay Rowdies in USSF Division 2. Kljestan's father Slavko Klještan, an ethnic Serb
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
from Bosnia, was a semi-professional player in Željezničar Sarajevo
FK Željeznicar
FK Željezničar is a professional football club from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo.The initial acronym stands for Fudbalski sportski klub , and the name Željezničar means "railway worker," given because it was established by a group of railway workers.Željezničar, alias "Željo," is the most...
.
Kljestan, along with Frank Lampard
Frank Lampard
Frank James Lampard is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Chelsea and the England national team. He also holds the position of vice-captain for his club side...
and Cuauhtémoc Blanco
Cuauhtémoc Blanco
Cuauhtémoc Blanco Bravo is a Mexican professional footballer currently signed for Irapuato in the Mexican Liga de Ascenso.Known for his aggressive yet charismatic personality on the field, playing most of his career as a deep-lying forward and his last years as an attacking midfielder...
, was featured on the North American cover of FIFA 10
FIFA 10
carlos leivaFIFA 10 is the 17th title in Electronic Arts' FIFA series of football video games. Developed by EA Canada, it was published by Electronic Arts worldwide under the EA Sports label. It was released on 2 October 2009 in Europe, 30 September in Australia and 20 October 2009 in North America...
.
Honors
Team- Anderlecht:
- Belgian SupercupBelgian SupercupThe Belgian Supercup is a Belgian club competition played on a single match at the league champion venue since 2004 and formerly at the Stade Roi Baudouin, between the winner of the last Belgian Pro League and that of the last Belgian Cup. If both teams are the same, the opponent is declared to...
:- Winner: 20102010 Belgian Super CupThe 2010 Belgian Super Cup was a football match that was played on 24 July 2010, between league winners Anderlecht and cup winners Gent. In a match with several chances for both teams, only Anderlecht managed to score once through Kouyaté. This meant the ninth Super Cup title for Anderlecht and...
- Winner: 2010
- Belgian Supercup
Individual
- MLS Best XIMLS Best XIThe MLS Best XI is an acknowledgement of the best eleven players in the league in a given season for Major League Soccer in Canada and the United States.-Winners:*Players in bold text also won the Major League Soccer MVP Award award for that season....
: 2008
External links
- FIFA: Sacha Kljestan
- MLS player profile
- Sacha Kljestan bio on USSoccer.com
- Current Sacha Kljestan News at followUSsoccer.com