2015 New York Red Bulls Report Card: Sacha Kljestan

Sacha Kljestan was the big off season signing for the New York Red Bulls. They traded two promising players in Eric Alexander and Ambroise Oyongo to Montreal just to get an allocation spot for the former US International. Kljestan started the season up and down, but following a mid-season red card, he became one of the most important players in 2015.

Player Stats:

40 Appearances

40 Games Started

3444 Minutes Played

9 Goals

16 Assists

Player Grade: B+

Things done well:

Kljestan was brought into the squad to be a playmaker. Not a traditional number 10, but still lead the attack. At the beginning of the year, he wasn't that. Felipe Martins could've been better in that position. Then something weird happened. He got a red card during a loss to Vancouver when he elbowed Kendall Watson during a break in play. It was a stupid decision, but the suspension seemed to give Kljestan a chance at a reset. He came back better than ever, leading the team to a 3-1 win over New York City FC with 2 assists on his way to 14 assists in the league; tying a team record.

Things done poorly:

Kljestan's biggest issue is consistency. When he's on, he's one of the best players on the field. When he isn't on, he can be a deterrent to the team's efforts. A perfect example was the playoffs. In the Columbus series, the team played too much on the wings. This was most likely planned, but Kljestan didn't play well in the series, which forced the ball wider more than it should have. He tallied 16 assists in all competitions, but Kljestan could've had more to his name if he played more consistently.