Sacha Kljestan made 52 appearances for the US national team, was a three-time Belgian champion with Anderlecht and was an MLS MVP finalist and assist king for two years. But that stellar career couldn’t prepare him for what he faced last week when he came out of retirement to wear the colors of the Des Moines Menace in a US Open Cup match against Capistrano FC.
The 38-year-old’s assist to set up the Menace’s first goal was no surprise, nor was the ice-cold, game-winning penalty in the shootout to send Des Moines to the next round after 120 minutes in the deadlock at 2. -2 either.
What was a first for Kljestan was that the game was delayed due to a lacrosse match taking place on the same field at JSerra Catholic High School.
“It was unreal, man,” Kljestan told The Athletic with a laugh. “We were just there, wondering: Is this game ever going to end? This is exactly what the opening rounds of the Open Cup are all about.
He’s ready to do it all again Wednesday at Nebraska – well, everything except the lacrosse delay and maybe overtime – as he continues his post-retirement hiatus with USL League Two team Des Moines Menace, who will travel to face USL League One. Union Omaha club.
Kljestan played one last professional match on October 1, 2022 with the LA Galaxy, the final stage of a successful 16-year career. The last time he played 90 minutes was almost a year ago on October 20, 2021.
Last year was his first season in his new profession in television, being one of the faces of studio coverage of MLS on Apple TV. He stayed in shape, performing every Saturday morning in New York before sitting in the makeup chair and spending hours in front of the camera during a live evening show.
“I wanted to see how I would do in a 90-minute match again – I mean, I didn’t know it was going to be 120 minutes,” Kljestan said. “I didn’t feel back to normal for six days. I swear to you. It was hard.
The gym Kljestan frequents near his home in Southern California, called MOXI3, was founded by a former Des Moines Menace player named Matt Bourne. One day, some friends from Bourne came to the gym and were participating in a spinning class with Kljestan. One of those friends was Charlie Bales, CEO of Menace. Kljestan “instantly” started joking that they were going to struggle, Bales said, and Bales’ ambition started cooking.
“I had no doubt that I was going to shoot,” Bales said of Kljestan’s bid to compete in the Open Cup.
The first request was rebuffed: “Playing football in Iowa in March sounds horrible,” Kljestan joked.
It wasn’t a definite no, at least. Kljestan agreed to wait and see what the draw had in store for the Menace. As fate would have it, they called on Capistrano, who plays 20 minutes away from Kljestan.
“It was a friendly joke, not like he was too cool for us,” Bales said. “Fast forward to find out the first round draw was in Southern California, so I slid into Sacha’s DMs.”
Kljestan agreed and started working on bringing a few friends with him. Goalkeeper Brian Rowe, a 2014 MLS Cup winner with Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane’s LA Galaxy, has joined the team. Euan Holden (brother of former USMNT midfielder Stu Holden), who last played for Stockport County and Bury in 2013, also came.
After their victory, Kljestan promised to have more friends for the next round.
Sporting KC legend Roger Espinoza has signed on to play this round, as has three-time MLS Cup winner AJ DeLaGarza. Espinoza retired this winter and DeLaGarza last played in 2022.
“Both of those guys were down from the get-go, as soon as I asked,” Kljestan said. “Roger just stopped playing and we all saw him play – he is the ultimate competitor. I bet he can do 120 minutes no problem. I’m so excited to play with him because he was so difficult to play against. AJ is another guy who loves to play and is always in shape, he will be great.
Kljestan and his friends don’t get paid, but their trip is covered by Des Moines.
Watch 12 years @SportingIowa the player Priscilla makes the deal with @L0mamanRoger Espinoza’s husband ✍️ pic.twitter.com/SvWgLgnEjo
— Des Moines Menace (@MenaceSoccer94) March 29, 2024
Kei Kamara, MLS’ third all-time leading scorer, was still looking for a new team after the Menace win, so Klejstan worked on recruiting him as well.
“Kei kind of dodged me a little bit,” Kljestan said, “and then I saw (The Athletic) break the news that he was about to sign with LAFC and I was like ‘oh, no wonder why. ‘”
A few other forwards were in the mix, but ultimately the Threat focused their efforts on Tesho Akindele, the former Canadian international who last played in Orlando in 2022. That’s how Bales and Kljestan spent time on Easter Sunday ahead of Monday’s registration deadline, putting a lot of pressure on Akindele to come and play.
Meanwhile, Kljestan continues to work on his close friend, former Red Bulls teammate and current Apple TV colleague Bradley Wright-Phillips to join him in Des Moines, but Wright-Phillips has proven elusive. Kljestan, however, has many friends who have expressed interest in possible future tours.
“If we keep winning, it’s going to get stupid,” Bales said.
Bales, 32, has done it all with Des Moines, making the current influx of former big league talent surreal for him. Currently the general manager, he also handles social media, marketing, ticket sales, registration administration, has been a driver, food delivery person and probably even a janitor. Most of them represented one department and overlapped.
“We don’t have any help or resources in the spring,” Bales said. “Put a graphic on Twitter? It’s me, on my phone, going into town. Try to get people involved. After all, we are an amateur team participating in this tournament.
Bales played college football at Western Illinois and played for the Menace during the summers.
“Being from the state of Iowa, where we don’t have a professional football team, having these guys represent our club in the oldest competition in the country and have all eyes on us is very special to me,” Bales said.
Although Kljestan’s ties to Des Moines were not strong before this, its connection to the Open Cup was clearer.
“I wanted to play again, with stakes on the line, and I love the Open Cup,” Kljestan said. “I enjoyed playing there as a player, not only in the US Open Cup but also in the Belgian Cup. I was excited to play in a competitive game again. The beauty of the Cup is that it’s all or nothing in one match.
Kljestan’s position as a key protagonist in this year’s edition of the Open Cup, while working at Apple TV, might be a bit awkward, since Major League Soccer was at the center of controversy over his decision to register a reduced number of first teams as well as 11. The MLS Next Pro is participating in the Cup this year.
Kljestan didn’t need permission from his bosses at Apple, but he let his producers know he was going to perform. They were all supportive, he said, and hosted the following weekend’s show with jokes about Kljestan’s old legs and highlights of his victory.
This is my first time putting on cleats in 18 months and my MLS 360 team is showing some love! THANKS @MenaceSoccer94 for bringing this old man back onto the court for the US Open Cup. pic.twitter.com/WovxjPBzbA
– Sacha Kljestan (@SachaKljestan) March 24, 2024
“I think we got some good content out of it as well,” Kljestan said.
When Kljestan finally went to bed the night of the Capistrano game – “barely,” he said of his legs making him forget what 120 minutes of a competitive soccer match was like – he was full of texts and messages to check. His wife and children attended the game, staying up past his bedtime following the lacrosse delay and overtime.
“My kids were excited to see me play again,” Kljestan said. “I don’t think they fully understood that this wasn’t going to take place in a big MLS stadium. My daughter, she’s so cute, she knows I finished my career with 99 assists in the regular season. She says, “You better get that 100th assist!” »
On Monday, Bales was part of the first wave of Menace to arrive in Nebraska. Union Omaha finished first in League One last season.
“Omaha is a very talented team and have been training together since January,” Bales said. “We’ll spend Tuesday trying to learn everyone’s names.”
While outsiders see what’s happening with the Des Moines Menace in the broader context of debates over the place and relevance of the Open Cup, Kljestan is simply enjoying one last taste of the action .
“As for a deeper meaning, I’m not sure yet,” Kljestan said. “I’m glad people are enjoying it and tuning in to see if any of us still have it, you know? There’s nothing better than playing a game. The feeling of being in front of fans, you can’t replicate that anywhere else in life. Since I retired, playing this kind of game has been fun.
(Top photo: Ben Nichols/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)