HARRISON, N.J. – A lot can change in just a few years; just ask Sacha Kljestan.
Since returning to MLS at the start of season, the US international has experienced a league far different than the one that saw him plying his trade with Chivas USA from 2006-2010.
Now a seasoned veteran with ample experience both domestically and abroad, Kljestan has gained a new appreciation for the development of top-flight soccer in the US and Canada.
“From my very first year, it’s grown in every aspect,” Kljestan said. “My first year in the league, there were 12 teams. It’s crazy to think back that we played so many games with only 12 teams in the league. To see the fan development get so big, the crowds get so big, the supporters sections, things like that, TV deals, everything has grown immensely. Right now the league is at a very strong point.”
Klejstan is also experiencing another kind of change: his role on the pitch.
Arguably the new face of the franchise, the 29-year-old has been tasked with a vital role in the center of the Red Bulls midfield – though admittedly not in the position he has become accustomed to over the years.
A deep-lying midfielder by trade, head coach Jesse Marsch has tweaked his role within his three-man central midfield setup. With Bradley Wright-Phillips still the main threat up top, Klejstan has been asked to play underneath the forward in a spot he seldom assumed while with his previous club, Belgian side Anderlecht.
As he becomes accustomed to his new position, Kljestan has concerned himself more with team results than individual performance.
“So far it’s been pretty good,” Klejstan told MLSsoccer.com. “I always look at the team first. The results have been good, and we’ve played good soccer, so that has been great. Obviously I don’t have any goals or assists yet, but that part will come. I think my relationship with Bradley is growing pretty quickly. I think we’ve gotten a lot better of finding each other on the field, whereas the first game in Kansas City [a 1-1 draw] we didn’t find each other nearly enough.”
For Marsch, the positional change was a well-calculated decision that has yet to reach its full potential. The Red Bulls boss has also altered the role of offseason signing Felipe, arguably a more natural fit for the No. 10 role, making him more of a holding midfielder.
“I felt that with both Felipe and Sacha, I know them pretty well,” Marsch said after a recent training session. “I know that they have flexibility, but given the relationships of the three guys in the middle, I felt that keeping Sacha closer to the goal was going to be valuable for our team. [I thought] having Felipe be a bigger a part of the buildup and joining in late was going to be a valuable way to use him.”
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Just three games into 2015, the key stats have not come easily for Kljestan, but he has already identified the areas that need improvement.
“I’m just getting used to receiving the ball a little bit higher up the field,” Kljestan said. “I need to do a better job of dribbling at the defense to create more space for Bradley.”
The learning curve doesn’t seem to be a major concern for Marsch, who offered a bit of insight into some of the issues that Kljestan has faced thus far.
“He’s so used to seeing plays [develop] so quickly that he’s played a lot of one- and two-touch in moments when he could actually take more touches and either be running at defenders or be running in a way so that it’s setting up a pass that can lead towards goal,” Marsch said. “When you play in high-level games in [the UEFA Champions League], you have to think so quickly and play so quickly because there’s no time and space on the field.
“There will still be days where we use Sacha a little bit deeper, maybe use Felipe a little bit higher, but I think the starting point for that relationship to work – and that triangle to work – has been good for us. Anyway that you look at it, those are two very intelligent guys. So however we choose to use them, they’ll do well.”
