US Soccer: Why Sacha Kljestan Should Make the Yanks 2014 World Cup Squad

Few American internationals can claim to have been through the highs and lows that Sacha Kljestan has battled through.

The leading scorer for the Yanks' under-23 team at the 2008 Olympics, Kljestan put himself into a starting position for the national team following a memorable hat-trick against Sweden in January 2009.

In the following months, Kljestan held a starting role in World Cup qualifiers. However, following a red card against Brazil in the Confederations Cup, the midfielder took on a decreased role with the national team under then-manager Bob Bradley.

Despite receiving an invite to the American 30-man preliminary roster for the 2010 World Cup, Kljestan failed to make the final 23-man squad for the tournament.

While the World Cup progressed, he transferred to Anderlecht in June 2010, where Kljestan has since revitalized his career.

The former Chivas USA midfielder has claimed two Jupiler Pro League championships and played in European competition during each of the last four seasons.

During the last two season, Kljestan made nine appearances for Anderlecht in the Champions League, the most matches played of any American-born member on the men's national team in Europe's premier football competition.

The midfielder is one of two members of the men's national team playing in the Champions League this season, with Schalke 04's Jermaine Jones being the other.

So far, Kljestan has played in four Champions League fixtures, where he has assisted on Anderlecht's only goal of the campaign.

Playing in the Champions League alone does not highlight what has been the best year of Kljestan's career, though.

An example of this is his goal-scoring form. Through 13 league matches, the midfielder leads Anderlecht with seven goals. 

Before this season, Kljestan had a combined seven goals in league play over the last two seasons.

When evaluating Kljestan's performance, it is important to note how he tallied his goals this season. Of the seven goals the midfielder scored this season, four have been off set pieces.

From the microcosm of a season that we have seen from Kljestan so far, it is fair to say that at this moment in time, the 28-year-old midfielder deserves to go to Brazil.

An initial reasoning for this belief is the playing time Kljestan has accumulated this season, not only in the Jupiler Pro League, but also in the Champions League.

Four years ago, this performance would be enough for Kljestan to make the World Cup roster. However, the roster spots for the 2014 World Cup in midfield will be much more contentious than they were in 2010.

Assuming Jurgen Klinsmann brings eight midfielders to Brazil, it is highly likely that Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Fabian Johnson and Jermaine Jones will make the final squad.

Assuming there are three remaining roster spots, Alejandro Bedoya appears to be the next midfielder to be selected, due in part to his strong Gold Cup performance, which has carried over to Ligue 1 with his new club, Nantes. 

Mix Diskerud also appears likely to make the World Cup squad after he too had a stellar showing at the Gold Cup.

He has also become a recent favorite of Klinsmann's during the last few months due to his creative instincts as an attacking midfielder.

Graham Zusi has also been a favorite of the German manager and has worked well as both a starter and as a substitute.

Granted, this does not mean creative adjustments will not be made to bring an additional midfielder to Brazil. Johnson could become a starter at left back to free up an extra midfield spot on the squad. Klinsmann could also decide to bring a ninth midfielder to the World Cup.

There are other midfielders that the German could choose from like Kyle Beckerman, Joe Corona, Maurice Edu, Stuart Holden, Brek Shea, Jose Torres or Danny Williams.

Although these players proved to Klinsmann they are capable of making a difference at the national level, the experience Kljestan has earned over the last four years does have significance.

When we look at Kljestan, we can see he only has started three times for the national team under Klinsmann.

While this may be alarming, it is important to note that with Kljestan has been used as a substitute on seven separate occasions, three of which have happened in 2013.

Additionally, the United States have outscored their opposition by a 6-1 scoreline when Kljestan emerges from the bench.

The Yanks have also won five of the seven matches that Kljestan has been used as a substitute over the past two years, including wins against Italy and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

It is clear Kljestan will not be a starter for the United States in Brazil with both Bradley and Jones almost guaranteed starting positions at the World Cup.

Showing his versatility as a substitute will be very important in Brazil.

Although he did not show his best performance as an attacking midfielder during the Americans scoreless draw with Scotland on Nov. 15, it is important to note that Kljestan was playing out of position in an attacking role.

This was something Klinsmann noted during his press conference following the match:

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“He [Kljestan] did okay, but it was tricky for him because we wanted him to play in between their two lines, the back line and the midfield line, and to find him in those spaces closer to Jozy, rather than further back. His instinct tells him to drop a little deeper because that’s what he does at Anderlecht, and then suddenly we had three midfielders in the same area with Jermaine [Jones], Michael [Bradley] and Sacha.”

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If Kljestan plays today against Austria, he could make up for the poor performance he had against Scotland should he move back to a defensive midfield position.

With only two more FIFA calendar dates left before World Cup selection, Kljestan has done enough to warrant a spot in the final 23 man roster. 

The only question which remains is whether Kljestan can continue his strong form to warrant a spot in the World Cup in eight months.

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