TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Signing
The LA Galaxy have agreed to terms with free agent midfielder Sacha Kljestan, the club announced Wednesday.
Kljestan, 34, was out of contract after two seasons with Orlando City SC, where he scored seven goals and had nine assists in 53 appearances. Prior to his stint with Orlando, Kljestan starred for the New York Red Bulls, where he had 16 goals and 51 assists across 99 appearances in three seasons.
“Sacha is talented veteran that will add depth and leadership to our midfield position,” said LA Galaxy GM Dennis te Kloese in a statement. “He is a local product that we believe will benefit us both on the field and in our locker room and we are excited to add his experience to our roster. We look forward to him joining our club.”
Kljestan joins a loaded Galaxy midfield, featuring the likes of Jonathan dos Santos, Joe Corona and Sebastian Lletget. The creative attacking midfielder gives Guillermo Barros Schelotto another veteran option in attack.
The Galaxy is the fourth MLS stop for Kljestan, who is eighth on the league's all-time assist leaderboard with 93, and could conceivably catch D.C. United legends Marco Etcheverry (101) and Jaime Moreno (102) with another productive season. He spent four-and-a-half seasons with Anderlecht in Belgium, where he had 25 goals and 21 assists. He won the Belgian league three times during his stay with the club.
Prior to his time in Europe, Kljestan began his professional career with the now-defunct Chivas USA after being selected No. 5 overall in the 2006 MLS SuperDraft.
Kljestan made 52 appearances for the US men's national team, the last of which in 2017.
