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Source: Galaxy lining up move for Sacha Kljestan

Sacha Kljestan

Photo by Don Feria/ISIphotos.com

By FRANCO PANIZO

The Los Angeles Galaxy are indeed in the process of lining up a move for a U.S. Men’s National Team midfielder, but it is not the player that is widely expected to be making a move to MLS.

The Galaxy are currently working to acquire veteran Sacha Kljestan from RSC Anderlecht via a loan, a source within MLS has confirmed to SBI. Kljestan would be subject to the MLS Allocation Order, which helps explain why the Galaxy executed a trade on Tuesday that saw them send young centerback Kofi Opare and a 2015 second round MLS SuperDraft Pick to D.C. United in exchange for a swap of allocation order positions that now has the Galaxy third in line behind the Columbus Crew and FC Dallas.

One of the teams in front of the Galaxy is said to be interested in Kljestan, but is unable to pay the loan fee that Anderlecht requires.

Under contract with Anderlecht through the 2015-16 season, Kljestan is expected to initially join Bruce Arena’s side via a six-month loan through the end of the season. Kljestan would be on Designated Player-type money, so him staying beyond the initial loan spell would require the Galaxy to free up a DP roster slot or MLS to raise the amount of DP spaces clubs can have. By arriving in MLS in mid-season, his salary could be pro-rated so that he would not count as a DP this season.

Belgium reports linked Kljestan with a move to the Galaxy back in May, but apparently nothing really materialized until now.

If the move is finalized, it would mark the MLS return of the 28-year-old midfielder. Kljestan, a Huntington Beach, California native, played for Chivas USA from 2006 to 2010 before moving to Belgian powerhouse Anderlecht.

A U.S. international with 46 caps and four goals to his name, Kljestan has fallen out of favor at Anderlecht despite helping the club win the last three Pro League titles. He was seldom used during the stretch run last season, which some believe played a part in him missing out on the U.S. team’s preliminary World Cup roster, and was limited to just seven minutes off the bench in Anderlecht’s season opener this past weekend.

Jermaine Jones is the U.S. midfielder most observers have been expecting to make a move to one of the two MLS clubs based in Los Angeles, where he has a home and has been spending his offseason. It is Kljestan, however, that the Galaxy have set their sights on.

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What do you make of the Galaxy lining up a move for Kljestan? See it as a good move for him? Should he stick it out with Anderlecht?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. This is better than Beckham or getting Ronaldinho, I bet this will work out almost as good as that Robbie Rogers trade

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  2. Signing Jones would be a huge risk for any MLS team. JJ has a history of injury problems and of disrupting locker rooms. During the first half of last season at Schalke Jones was causing problems and the team was struggling and the team finally got rid of him, shipped him on loan to Turkey for the second half of the season and as soon as Jones was gone Schalke improved and had a great second half of the season. And Jones saying he won’t go to MLS unless they give him what he wants. Yeah. Sure. Make Jones sweat it out a few more weeks and he will be begging on his hands and knees for an MLS contract. And no way will JK’s boy Jones end up at the Galaxy as long as Donovan is there.

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  3. I would love to see us pick him up them trade him to LA2(Chivas) for Bocanegra, THEN sell Omar and pick up… Ronaldinho!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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    • You are kidding right? Or have you been smoking with NASL TO EL PASO TX?

      Omar for Ronaldinho? That would be like trading Robbie Rogers for Ferris Bueller, no one in their right mind…

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  4. what a let down, but i called it (well, that it would be a loan). dude makes $750,000 a year and while the loan arrangement will keep him off a DP contract, what’s the long term plan? to sign him as the 3rd DP and sell Omar? Kljestan is NOT a DP type player and here we go again with yet another player taking up a DP spot that doesn’t fit the mold of a player the DP spot was made for. if they end up not keeping him at the end of the loan, then they just traded away a solid CB prospect for a 6-month loan player. that’s bad business.

    even if Jones is 4 years older and likely to cost $1M+ a season, that’s still a better signing and they probably wouldn’t have had to trade to get the allocation spot because i still think Jones will skip allocation.

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      • like i said, maybe they don’t keep him at the end of the loan. you could be right but then i would question the intelligence of trading away a young prospect as promising as Opare just for 6 months of Kljestan at a cost of $375,000.

        there must be some kind of longer term plan because LA runs their club more intelligently than giving all that up for 6 months of service. it’s not even like CM is THAT big of an issue for them. if both Juninho and Sarvas were injured for the rest of the season, sure, it would make sense.

  5. “or MLS to raise the amount of DP spaces clubs can have.”

    That put a smile on my face. This new CBA is going to be interesting and should be huge for the growth of the league.

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  6. Kljestan ? Really? He as a DP? What has happen to galaxy. I know he will be a loan but sooner than later become a DP.
    So Pretty much Omar is leaving by next year and keane ain’t getting younger and you bring kljestan.
    The way I see galaxy, is they are going to become red bull west coast. If some hardcore rich owner like Carlos slim wants LA2, then galaxy is in trouble.
    I can’t believe galaxy didn’t pressure Donovan to leave to Europe, and they haven’t found a team for Omar and keane is getting older.
    Imagine LA 2 getting a downtown stadium with a loaded owner and what if Beckham is part of the group (which will be beckhams last resort) , galaxy will sink.

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      • Maybe I thought I disagreed with you all the time because everyone’s always hanging the dual-national albatross around your neck.

        Anyway, “Huh?” was a spot-on response.

      • Actually a screw driver 🙂 lone star is a cheap ass beer buddy. Try some bourbon opals well 🙂
        Chivas USA need kljestan back, unless they get jones.
        For slowleftarm and Limey, I don’t see galaxy getting better this season, I actually see fc Dallas winning the west.
        Another thing, if galaxy believe in their academy, they must be smoking some good stuff.
        Any MLS team who believes in their academy as their savior, must be smoking something. The league is too young to rely on their academy teams, maybe in 5 to 6 years but not right now.
        As for LA 2, if they get this right with a good name ,stadium and obviously owner, then you can see galaxy being pressure by their hometown rivals for once, like red bull are.

      • Whatever you’re smoking seems to be waaaay better than anything anybody else might be smoking.

      • No buddy, my uncle work for mexican soccer academies.
        About 5% of academy players make the first team and most of them are loan or sold to small teams.
        Academies are suppose to make money for the team and make about 3 to 4 super stars every 5 years.
        Then the team sells theme or keeps them. Simple as that, and as a matter of fact, my uncle who has a lot of experience with academies has said, the only way MLS will benefit from academies is until players choose soccer over a college education and MLS teams recruit players from around the world from ages 10 to 17.

      • It’s true that most academy players don’t make it but I think that MLS needs to worry about making sure its academies attract the best players in the US before they worry too much about scouring the globe for talent. On day, sure. But at this point, the best young players are always going to choose a spot in a European academy over one in MLS.

      • Oh yes, Europe will be the first option, what MLS academies need to do is scout the whole country of U.S.
        Recruit 10 year olds and at the same time give them education and help them finish high school at age 16 or 17 latest.
        If the player is not that good, it’s sad but them the parents need to pay up but let’s say he’s a gem,you need to offer a free academy scholarship.
        Also find sponsors, any company who has trust in your academy.
        If MLS has 26 or 28 teams, that’s easily 26 or 28 academies plus division 2, 3 and 4 can be 21 and below league.

      • Ok nice story, I agree that development produces many prospects for each that pans out, but… in what way does LA bringing in an established player from an outside league on a 6 mo. loan signify an over-reliance on their academy? Seems to me they are utilizing every channel that is available to them.

      • Okay not pressure but give him confidence and raise his self esteem. Donovan is a roller coaster of emotions 🙂 and he could easily be making a lot of money in Spain and Mexico. Hopefully Omar Gonzalez won’t be another Donovan.
        If you can win or play Europe champions then go win the libertadores with a big team from Mexico.
        In Mexico, they value the libertadores way more than their league championship. As for the concacaf champions, mexican teams know they got no competition from MLS, so depending if it’s a big team or small team, they will put their eggs for the league or libertadores.
        No team from Mexico has ever lift the libertadores trophy. Donovan could have help any mexican team.

      • What would Donovan gain from going to Mexico? His national team career is over and he has it pretty good in LA. Wouldn’t surprise me if he retires at the end of the season anyway.

      • Donovan could have been the first American love by the mexican fans. If Beasley made it in Puebla, why not Donovan in a big team. You Cruz azul, America with the big money, even Monterrey tigres and Monterey rayados. Those are the four richest teams in Mexico, then you have Tijuana and Guadalajara.

      • I’ll bet you my house LD could CARE LESS if Mexican futbol fans love him! What’s better, he plays well against Mexico, and the Mexican fans hate him for pissing on the field, but really, for being a big thorn in their side in lifting US soccer the last decade+ and actually helping to strike fear of US soccer into Mexican futbol and into that rivalry. was not like that when I was growing up, now it is, he was integral piece to it

        much prefer being feared/respected by a rival than loved anyway

      • beachbum,

        From what I can tell Mexican fans in Mexico love LD.

        He has been featured in commercials and he is always the first and usually the only USMNT player interviewed by Univision when the topic is the USMNT.

        He is a lot less monotone in Spanish.

        There have been rumours of him playing for Club America for years. It would give him a new challenge and keep him pretty close to home which matters to him and the US media which seems to be his future plan anyway.

      • yep, gives interviews in Spanish, well spoken, but love? respect yes, begrudgingly, and only because he’s caused them so much pain GW.

      • Donovan did play in EPL. Twice. He is making good money, and he gets to live near his family.

  7. Normally i’d be pissed if a guy who was with Chivas USA as long as him, ended up with the gals. TBH i never liked Sacha, he’s a bit of a prima donna. Good Riddance. I’m still calling it- All star game LA2 new ownership announcement and the signing of Jermaine Jones. A guy can dream right?

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    • Jones at new-Chivas would be the right way to stick it to the Galaxy for finagling Kljestan.

      I like Kljestan, but a sleeping Jones is worth two awake Kljestans.

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      • OK, … I like the Chivas/Beckham angle here. This is too good a solution at this point for Garber to let go. But the unapologetic speculation for me has got to involve Tim Leiweke as well, because his involvement behind some of the strange news this week would be one of the few things I can think of that would tie it all together. More than anybody, the Beckham deal was his “baby” and he rightfully reaped a lot of praise from it. The MLS franchise option is the last chapter of the deal and the most unique and creative feature of the structure. But it is hitting a snag lately due to the inability of Beckham’s team to execute on a site and the damage has made everybody including the Don a bit uneasy. I’d be shocked if Leiweke wasn’t willing to lend a hand personally to see out the final part of the vision (and maybe stick it to AEG a bit), even if he had to play hookey from TFC obligations for a week or so.

        And since a Toronto newspaper is reporting that Leiweke is currently “out of town and unavailable”, I think it’s only fair to imagine he is in Los Angeles, seated around a table with Beckham, Garber, Ronaldinho, Jermaine Jones, and a mysterious player with a bag over his head…. laughing about how easy it was to get the Galaxy to drop everything for Sacha Kliejstan.

      • Ali Dia, I love your speculation so much that even if it turns out to be utterly false, I will remember it this way anyway because it would be more interesting.

        btw, the mysterious player: Zlatan. The Zlatan loves Ronaldinho and why else do you think David played for PSG?

  8. Good signing by LA if they pull it off…Don’t let rules get in the way..

    Now how long until the team formerly known as Chivas gets the s*** together?!
    Rebrand, sign JJ and move on. They have a decent base already with a good temp stadium deal, academy, decent roster & staff in place. I can’t believe ownership groups are not all over this.

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    • Rumor is ownership is in place but they were waiting till after the world cup. To ride the wave I.E. All-star game

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    • Keep in mind that players brought in at the halfway point of the season on count as half of their salary number, a prorated kind of thing. So if he were getting 700k in salary he would only be a 350 k cap hit for the rest of the year.

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    • Unless Garber decides that paying a loan is part of the salary cap, which happens unless you are on his nice list.

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  9. i like this move for the galaxy..gives them four solid midfielders which they can play all at once if they desire..juninho sarvas klejstan ishizaki would be the best midfield quartet in the league..or you can drop one and go 4-3-3 with zardes donovan keane up front..good move

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  10. Jermaine Jones should be the player than MLS should target – grit, heart, personality and commitment. Klestjan should go back to Chivas USA or the Earthquakes where they lack goals and need better attacking options. Love to see Mixx in NYCFC alongside David Villa unless he can move up to Eredivsie as a stepping stone to a top league.

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    • A Jermain Jones type player is not needed at Galaxy. Well at least Arena doesn’t think so. I think MLS should look to rebrand Chivas USA with a marquee signing like Jones. It would bring a lot of interest to a team that no one cares about right now. He gets his chance to be at home and he is definitely a star signing that a team can be built around.

      If I were MLS, I would sign Jones to a contract for Chivas USA then loan him out to wherever for a few months. Then in 2015, have him join the re-branded Chivas USA.

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      • Get Beckham to buy Chivas, re-brand, sign Jones as their first player, and get a new stadium. I think that would take away from some of the Galaxy fan base, the Beckham-lovers.

    • Exactly. The star the league has been looking for finally hits them in the head and MLS is standing there looking stupid. Jermaine Jones is what this league has been looking for he’s our Beckham in a weird way. He can still play and he’s a star that can sell Jersey and brands will flock to him. He has a beautiful wife too. The best part is that he is American someone that the people can relate too not English! Jones can be our Chad Johnson in a good way. MAKE IT HAPPEN MLS

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      • all i know is that whomever signs Jones, I will be making a trip to that city to watch him. I live in MN, so here’s hoping it’s KC. In any case, MLS needs to sign him. They are dumb for not figuring it out at this point.

    • +1 I feel almost feel ashamed for him in this photo, which appears to be another clipping from our Spring Break Ukraine (Cyprus) 2014 album, which really should be discarded at some point. In this particularly emasculating shot of Sacha, somebody is clearly a split-second away from dispossessing him of the ball, giving him a wedgie, and snapping the special orthotics in his shoes.. Maybe even one of our guys.

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    • did you guys ever see that commercial on spanish television last year, the one where two guys are picking team members for a pickup game? One of them being picked is a white guy who has stiff legs and who moves as if he’s always near tripping over himself. His jersey is clearly meant to imply an american supporter. The ad is kind of racist. I think it was an insurance ad. Anyway, so one of the captains, who is wearing a brazilian shirt, comes down to a choice between two players- the yank or the guy wearing an argentina jersey. He chooses the yank. Now I know that that american was sasha

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    • My first reaction was that it looks like he was running to the port-o-potty but didn’t know what to do with the ball first.

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  11. Galaxy: Hey, we want to bring in a 4th DP… we know you guys wrote down somewhere we can only have 3 but hey, we’re the galaxy and you’ve jankied the DP rules for us before.

    League: But Galaxy pwwease, we try to give league salary cap to promote parity, you already have embarrassment of riches compared to most of the league.

    Galaxy: but we don’t have a Sacha Kljestan and we want one.

    League: Ok, we will write something up real quick, Ok, here it is, “if you take a DP level player on loan it won’t count as a 4th DP slot unless you keep him longer than 6 months”

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    • Garber: “We’ll give you that fourth DP slot and we’ll call it the US World Cup veteran slot for special players who played in Brazil>”

      LA: “But he wasn’t there.”

      Garber: “Don’t let history get in the way.”

      LA: “Can’t we just have a fourth slot? We’ll call it the Kljestan Rule.”

      Garber: “Madness!”

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      • I happen to be a big LAG fan but have to concede that they do get the benefit of the rules…..But so what? If you are going to get bent of shape because of a little corruption and favoritism I suggest that soccer just isn’t your sport.

      • Garber: “Hello. Chris! calling back so soon?
        Galaxy: “yes, make that two 6month DP non-DPs”
        Garber: “Jones?”
        Galaxy: “righto”
        Garber: “might have to go the pro-American route in the press, ‘Who isnt for Americans coming home?”
        Galaxy:” Not to hard though. Well see what crumbs we can pass along to the crew and quakes”
        Garber: “that always helps”

      • There is truth in the allegation… at the very least in appearances. I totally get the frustration. I’m not informed enough to vaguely claim I understand the league rules. Frankly, this is intentional… as is often the case, they are made so complex to allow for plenty of loose interpretation/flexibility for those in power/the league to manipulate them/do what it wants. Imagine a business wanting to self regulate? Truth is- there is a large gap in ambition between some clubs and what they are able or willing to spend. While many cried foul about the DP rule, plenty of DP slots went years unused. There is much to be said for the league continually looking for ways to improve, not simply tread water and encouraging enabling owners wanting to do so…. for the more ambitious clubs to be allowed to set the pace for the league rather than the mean be set by the bottom. Certainly a better more transparent way to do this is setting the salary cap at a higher level and allowing more DPs. Fair bet the league is about to do just that but would like to take advantage of opportunities/ quality players wanting into the league, but only willing to play for team A or B.
        Fair? No. But MLS is a MUCH easier environment for teams with limited resources to compete in than any other in the world. You can complain, but as MLS grows, you can be assured it won’t get any easier for a Columbus to compete with a NY, LA or SEA. Welcome to the real world.

      • The galaxy isn’t the first team to take advantage of this new made up rule… Maybe you should look back to Toronto FC and their DP goalkeeper fitting in on a short term loan as the 4th DP. Donkey.

    • Arena is very rule savvy and they might be able to claim things should be pro-rated for less than half a season, allocation sitting somewhere, god knows what Bruce has thought up, but still, you’re probably right.

      Houston had to DP Landin a few years back for the loan fee even though his salary was low 6 figures and wouldn’t otherwise have triggered DP. Do we have rules or are we back in Old MLS where we just make it up as we go along?

      Jones would be the better short term player and Kljestan would still probably not be better than what the market will provide long term. And this is still a cap league regardless.

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      • King, i was wondering that too. is that something Anderlecht came up with? i’d like some clarification on what this fee is. for Edu, there was no mention of a fee. he makes $650,000 a year in MLS but his Stoke contract is worth $1,380,000 which means Stoke is paying the rest (majority) of it.

        is something like this happening with Kljestan’s arrangement? if he is making $750,000 and we pro-rate it for 6 months, that’s $375,000 which is of course below the DP limit but the entire salary would be on the books, right? if it was just a bit higher, and since it’s a mid-season DP acquisition, it would only count $193,750 against the cap. of course, that was not an option since they have 3 DPs but it’s yet another example of this deal just not making any sense.

        or do i just have this all confused? i’m trying to see how this is makes good business sense for LA and i can’t see it.

      • Charlie Davies was loaned by Sochaux to DC United. Apparently, that did not work out. He later came back to the Revs.

    • This wouldn’t change any rules whatsoever. By the way, Toronto got Julio Cesar on loan from QPR without a DP contract.

      If anything, some of the top clubs have been making some roster moves that suggest they’re anticipating changes to the upcoming CBA for next season, and a bridge loan for Sacha going into that makes sense.

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    • Not sure that he isn’t. Depend what you are looking for. He’s a good passer in the final third and can hold the ball. Juninho is more of a long range blaster, and frankly not many of them are threatening. People love to smack Sasha around, but he’s a good, intelligent player.

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      • Juninho and Sarvas are very good but the Galaxy don’t have much behind them in the CM. Sarvas can also play on the outside so I think there is room for all 3 to play. I think that this is a great move for LA.

      • Quality depth. And Galaxy definitely need depth there. Although his defensive work is as good as ever Juninho has taken a step back as an offensive threat. Frankly since Beckham left, I think he has been asked to do too much and is worn down. Having another option to rotate in could do both Jun and Sarvas some good as they’ve been workhorses and the quality drops heaps when one of the two is out.

      • Yeah but would you guys say Sacha a DP? I don’t. Galaxy should go after Jermaine Jones but I’m just guessing since Jermaine a Jurgen guy that why Bruce will avoid him.

      • You assume that every coach makes decisions based on grudges and personal axes to grind the way JK does? I think Arena likes winning games. Nonetheless, if he did harbor some mistrust here, I’m sure the fact that Jones was brought into the program by Bradley, not JK, would help.

      • No I don’t so much see Sasha as a DP. Not sure Galaxy do either. A loan is a pretty good way for them and us to find out for sure though isn’t it. Meantime, it is a risk free way to upgrade their roster. As for Jones….. certain Arena could care less about the fact that he happens to play for JK and am suspect JJ is his own man before he is anyones. The fact that, unlike SK, he isn’t available on loan might have more to do w/ it, don’t you think?

      • Juninho is a #6. He’s mostly there for defense, his ability to hit the long range shot from time to time is just a bonus.

        Kljestan is a #8, and much more in competition with Sarvas. He’s OK, maybe Kljestan is a touch better, but it wasn’t a position that really screamed for an upgrade , and Kljestan will be expensive for an only mild improvement.

      • Landon plays where Landon likes, but he’s only been slotted in the CAM position once or twice, and on the wing or up top more often. He also moves up top late in games after subbing in another midfielder.

      • he’s been in the CAM position more than any other position this year. but i was wrong that he hasn’t played much on the wing, looks like he’s actually split his time pretty evenly among his three positions.

        Winger: 5 apps
        CAM: 6 apps
        CF: 5 apps

      • gets switched around during games, usually pushing him forward, has not been outside much, some specific matchups seems to me. Arena’s been trying to figure out how to get Keane, Zardes, LD and Ishizaki out there together

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