WASHINGTON – On an evening when most of the hype surrounded promising youngsters Julian Green and Lynden Gooch, Sacha Kljestan provided a reminder that not all international breakthroughs come by age 21.
With a combination of factors creating a need for the US national team at attacking midfielder, the New York Red Bulls playmaker went the full 90 minutes in a 1-1 draw against New Zealand Tuesday to continue his resurgence into the US side.
“I feel like this is a second chance at a national-team career and I have a lot more determination now and a lot more motivation,” said Kljestan, who leads MLS with 17 assists. “Obviously I missed a couple of World Cups, so now I’m going to push my hardest to do everything I can.”
Once thought to be out of manager Jurgen Klinsmann’s plans, the former RSC Anderlecht man has now appeared in four straight matches for the Yanks, with Tuesday marking his 50th career cap.
With Clint Dempsey out with an irregular heartbeat and Alejandro Bedoya forced out of this latest US camp by a rib injury, Kljestan could fill a crucial need on the 23-man roster Klinsmann will call when the final round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying opens against Mexico on Nov. 11.
“He’s absolutely under consideration for Mexico,” Klinsmann said. “He took this opportunity just the perfect way. He was hungry for that moment, and he knew that he has to come in here and make a difference.”
In an at-times sloppy and frenetic match Tuesday, Kljestan was one of the players Klinsmann felt stood out positively.
“He was very, very mobile,” Klinsmann said. “He kept things going until the very last second when a couple opportunities came. It’s really nice to watch how he came back into this group.”
Including the last two semifinal-round matches against St. Vincent & the Grenadines and Trinidad & Tobago, Kljestan has now participated in three qualifying cycles, but never a World Cup.
At 31 years old, he knows time is precious. He also believes his experience can be an asset even while Klinsmann tries to work in promising youngsters on nights like Tuesday.
“I think when I was a young player, I didn’t fully realize the importance or the magnitude of playing for the national team,” Kljestan said. “And now I do. Now I’m very excited about my possibilities going forward. I’m the oldest guy in this camp, I’m one of the older players. I’m one of the more experienced players. I feel like I can help the young guys as well while also pushing the team.”
