Chivas USA midfielder Sacha Kljestan will train with Scottish champions Celtic Football Club starting Saturday, the Los Angeles-based Major League Soccer club announced Thursday. A 23-year-old product of Huntington Beach, Calif. and U.S. Soccer's 2008 Young Male Athlete of the Year, Kljestan departed the U.S. Men's National Team's camp this evening, California time, en route to Scotland, where he will join Celtic at its Lennoxtown training center near Glasgow. After training with Celtic coach Gordon Strachan's squad (currently in the second half of its 2008-09 Scottish Premier League season), Kljestan is scheduled to return to Southern California on Jan. 22, ahead of the United States' Jan. 24 international friendly versus Sweden at The Home Depot Center.
A product of Huntington Park High School and a first-round draft pick out of Seton Hall University (2006), Sacha Kljestan enjoyed a breakout year in 2008, his third season as a pro, earning MLS Best XI honors after leading Chivas USA in assists (7) and goals (5, tied) in 22 league matches played, while being named the club's 2008 MVP and Budweiser Golden Boot Winner. On the international level, Kljestan was named U.S. Soccer's Young Male Athlete of the Year, after representing his country at the Beijing Olympics, where he scored two goals in three matches for the U.S., including a strike against Holland that was voted U.S. Soccer's 'Best Goal of 2008'. For the senior U.S. National Team, Kljestan has appeared in 11 matches since his 2007 debut, including four World Cup Qualifiers in 2008.
Founded in 1888, Glasgow-based Celtic Football Club has won 42 Scottish league championships and a record 34 Scottish Cups, as well as the European Cup in 1967, while perennially competing at the highest level of European competition in the UEFA Champions League. Together, Celtic and Glasgow rivals Rangers F.C. make up the Glasgow Derby or 'Old Firm', one of the most intense local rivalries in international sport. Coached by former Scotland international Gordan Strachan, Celtic currently sits in first place in the Scottish Premier League with 51 points, five ahead of Rangers, with 12 games remaining in the 2008-09 season. In July 2007, Celtic played the MLS All-Stars and the Chicago Fire during their preseason tour of the United States.
After qualifying for the MLS Cup Playoffs for the third year in a row in 2008, Chivas USA is scheduled to open preseason training at The Home Depot Center on Wednesday, Jan. 28 ahead of the 2009 MLS season. Media interested in covering preseason training and friendlies should contact Chivas USA Communications. Chivas USA opens its fifth campaign in Major League Soccer on March 21, 2009, when it hosts the Colorado Rapids at The Home Depot Center.
About Chivas USA
Founded in 2004, Los Angeles-based Club Deportivo Chivas USA has achieved remarkable success in just four seasons in Major League Soccer. In 2008, the Mexican-owned club qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs for the third year in a row, to the delight of its passionate supporters. Chivas USA players and coaches have earned awards for MLS Rookie of the Year (Jonathan Bornstein, 2006), Goalkeeper of the Year (Brad Guzan, 2007) and Coach of the Year (Bob Bradley, 2006; Preki, 2007). The club's innovative grassroots programs demonstrate its deep commitment to the Southern California community, while the Chivas USA U-18 and U-16 youth teams and Chivas USA Soccer Academies offer unprecedented opportunities to the region's best young talent. For more information on Club Deportivo Chivas USA, please visit cdchivasusa.com.
