CARSON, Calif. - After a preseason friendly in February, Chivas USA's Jesse Marsch spoke highly about an opposing player and was excited about how it reflected on the Red-and-White.
The opponent - Sacha Kljestan - was really a teammate, save for 45 minutes. As part of the U.S. under-23 national team's February camp, the young Americans played against Chivas USA.
Already, 2007 has been a busy year for Kljestan. He was part of the U.S. senior national team camp in January, joined the under-23s for a camp, played the first half of a 2-0 U.S. win against Chivas USA and took a week-long trip to Japan with other young hopefuls.
"It was pretty big for me," Kljestan said of the early part of this year. "Being captain of the Olympic team also gave me a lot of confidence too, knowing that I am one of the leaders of the young guys in this league and I have to do well to show well for this country. Japan was a good trip for us and I have a lot of confidence coming out of those two and coming into camp with Chivas."
Chivas USA's first-round SuperDraft pick in 2006, Kljestan responded well a year ago when playing in what Marsch has called the most difficult position for a rookie to play.
"For a young guy to play center midfield, it's not an easy job," Marsch said. "First year in this league, it's like being a first-year quarterback. It's a position where so much is going on in your radar screen and you have to be seeing so much. We were so hard on him to try and get him better and he was so responsive. You can see that he's grown a lot."
Already, Kljestan has become a vital cog in Chivas USA's midfield. Known for his attacking prowess at Seton Hall, Chivas USA tossed defensive responsibilities on his plate. Kljestan picked up the new tasks well without losing his playmaking abilities. Although he did not score a goal in his rookie campaign, Kljestan had seven assists, most of any rookie.
Along with continued development on both ends of the field, Kljestan said he would try and carry over his experiences from the senior and under-23 national squads.
"Being with the full team gave me a lot of confidence knowing I could play with the best players in this country and hopefully try to get my first cap soon," Kljestan said.
While with the senior team, Kljestan did not distinguish himself enough to dress against Denmark on Jan. 20. However, being in camp was nevertheless quite a learning experience.
Among the things he picked up was how to be more of a leader. He took what he learned from one of the league's best midfielders to heart and said he'd try and put it to use with Chivas USA.
"A little bit more of a leadership role on the field, not being afraid to take control of the game and talk a lot more on the field ... something I learned from Pablo Mastroeni, who is obviously a great leader for Colorado and for the full (national) team," Kljestan said. "I think he's one of the great midfielders in this league. That's something I learned a lot from him and something that I'll try to apply to this team."
Luis Bueno is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
