CARSON, Calif. - The Los Angeles Galaxy today acquired midfielder Chris Klein from Real Salt Lake in exchange for forward Robbie Findley and midfielder Nathan Sturgis. Klein, 31, is a 10-year MLS veteran who has appeared in 243 career games, making 226 starts. He will join the Galaxy immediately and will be available for selection on Saturday against the Columbus Crew.
"Chris is a player that Coach Yallop has been interested in for a while," said LA Galaxy President and General Manager Alexi Lalas. "We had the opportunity to bring in another veteran player of quality and we jumped at it."
Klein comes to Los Angeles after spending the last year and a half in Utah with Real Salt Lake, appearing in all 43 of RSL's games over that time, collecting eight goals and nine assists. Prior to his stint in Salt Lake, Klein was a member of the Kansas City Wizards from 1998-2005 where he remains second in club history with 39 goals and 45 assists. A four-time MLS All-Star selection, Klein is a two-time winner of the MLS Comeback Player of the Year Award and was an integral member of the Wizards MLS Cup championship team in 2000, tallying six goals and eight assists. Klein is now just three goals away from becoming the 12th player in MLS history to record 50 career goals and assists.
"When I heard about the opportunity to come to an organization like the Los Angeles Galaxy and everything that they've stood for in the past and everything that they stand for going forward, I was excited," Klein said. "It's a tremendous opportunity for me professionally and most importantly I know the expectations here and am happy to be able to contribute toward reaching those."
A native of St. Louis, Mo., Klein has collected 22 career caps with the U.S. National Team scoring five goals. He last appeared for the National Team on March 22, 2006 in a 4-1 loss to Germany while he was named the Man of the Match in his last start for the U.S., a 4-0 win over Guatemala on Feb. 19, 2006 at Pizza Hut Park.
Findley and Sturgis have each appeared in all nine of the Galaxy's games this season. Sturgis, a second-year midfielder who is currently with the U.S. Under-20 National Team, has played in 24 games, making 23 starts since joining the club. Findley, a rookie who was selected by the Galaxy in the second round of the 2007 MLS SuperDraft, is tied for the team lead with two goals, having scored in each of LA's games against FC Dallas this season.
