ORLANDO, Fla. – A new face that needed no introduction strolled into breakfast Tuesday morning in Red Bull preseason camp and though he’d arrived only hours before, Sacha Kljestan made it a point to greet each of his new teammates.
Having been announced as the club’s newest player last Wednesday, Kljestan made his final appearance for Belgian side Anderlecht Sunday and then hopped on a plane for New York that night. With his physical done Monday, Kljestan arrived in Orlando just after midnight Tuesday morning.
The U.S. international shrugged off thoughts about jet lag, fully participating in Tuesday morning’s training session.
“So far I feel pretty good,” he told NewYorkRedBulls.com. “I was excited but so tired when I got here last night that I fell right asleep – got a good seven hours so I feel pretty good and obviously this morning I was excited to get my first training session in with the team, trying to get to know everybody.
“It was a fast-paced training session, it was hard but fortunately I’m already fully fit already coming in from midseason so I felt good.”
A return to MLS
MLS has has grown by leaps and bounds since Kljestan’s rookie season with Chivas USA in 2006.
Back then the league stood at just 12 clubs that was only getting back to decent footing after the contraction of two teams in 2002. Attendances, especially with Chivas USA, weren’t great and Designated Players weren’t what people spent hours trading opinions about – they weren’t even a thing.
Kljestan comes back to a league that’s thriving with 20 clubs, rising attendances, as well as more and more stars making MLS their choice destination.
Being part of that growth and continuing to build upon it was important for the 29-year old.
Beyond that, returning to New York, which he says is his “favorite city in the world” and reuniting with former Chivas teammate Jesse Marsch, also played a part.
“Our relationship has grown a lot over the years,” Kljestan said of Marsch. “Obviously when I was a rookie, he was the other midfielder I played alongside at Chivas. He demanded a lot out of me and at the beginning I didn’t like all of his criticism, but I grew to respect him. I grew to have a partnership with him and a friendship off the field.
“I’ve grown to love and respect him. I think he’s a great coach and obviously I look forward to playing for him now. Obviously it’s a different relationship as a player/coach but I look forward to it. Obviously a chance to come play for Red Bull, play in New York and play for Jesse was a big point for me so when we started having discussions about coming back to New York I was very excited."
Kljestan also reunites with U.S. Men’s National teammates Dax McCarty and Luis Robles as well as an old friend from southern California in Sal Zizzo.
“It’s nice to have these guys that are of similar age to me that also have family, helping with me and my family when we come to New Jersey to kind of settle down together and help us off the field, but I’m excited to play with all those guy as well.”
A proper sendoff and hopes for the future
Upon news of the signing last week, Red Bull head coach Jesse Marsch emphasized the experience Kljestan would bring to the club after winning three league titles and playing in as many Champions League matches with the Belgian giants.
The club used Sunday’s 0-0 draw with Zulte-Waregem as a sendoff match for “Mr. USA”, presenting the midfielder with a gift and allowing him to address the stadium prior to the match. Saying he would “always be a part of the Anderlecht family,” Kljestan was ushered off the field to loud chants of “USA! USA!” from the club’s supporters.
“It was emotional. It was almost five years of my life -- the best period of my club career. We won a lot of titles, we won a lot of games, especially in front of our home fans, so for the club to give me a send off, it was important. Speaking to some friends and family last night, not a lot of American players have had that kind of impact on a European club in their career.
“It was nice to feel recognized for doing something special. I hope five or 10 years down the road, I have that same feeling at Red Bull Arena.”
