Sacha Kljestan will play in the MLS All-Star Game for the first time Thursday in San Jose, and he said he expects to enjoy every second of it.
But the Red Bull midfielder’s ultimate goals are far loftier: Lifting the MLS Cup. Winning the MVP trophy. And earning his way back onto the U.S. national team.
Yes, that kind of lofty.
“I’m proud of being selected. I’ve had a pretty good first half of the season, so it’s nice to get recognition,’’ Kljestan told The Post. “But I’ll challenge myself to have an even better second half if we’re going to go on and accomplish something big.”
The something big is the Red Bulls’ first MLS Cup. And coach Jesse Marsch has challenged Kljestan, a Seton Hall product, to be the midfield brain and team leader who gets them there.
Kljestan leads MLS in assists with 12, including a league-high five game-winners. And, after the Red Bulls’ 1-6 start, he has spurred them to second place in the Eastern Conference with 31 points (two behind first-place New York City FC), and finally has gotten his chance to suit up in an All-Star Game.
After having to skip the 2008 game for the Olympics, the native of Southern California’s Huntington Beach will get to play in San Jose in front of friends and family.
“They sent me a jersey in the mail [in 2008] that all the guys had autographed. It was a pretty cool keepsake, but it’s good to be here. To finally get to play will be fun,’’ said Kljestan, 30, who will have his wife, Jamie, his brother, Gordon, and his sister, Vanessa, in the stands.
One family member who won’t be at the game is his father, Slavko, a former pro player in Yugoslavia who snuck across the border from Canada in the trunk of a car. He’s in Europe, but he always has been Kljestan’s biggest supporter.
Marsch may be the second biggest.
Marsch played alongside Kljestan on Chivas USA, coached him as a U.S. national team assistant, and lured him back stateside from Belgian power Anderlecht.
He has gotten even more than he bargained for, with Kljestan’s 26 assists since returning in 2015 tops in the league.
“He’s exceeded my expectations on every level, from not just a playing perspective but a leadership perspective and how he’s taken on being part of this organization,’’ Marsch said of Kljestan, part of the Red Bulls’ leadership council.
“It feels pretty good. It’s a big compliment, and it gives me a lot of confidence. It makes me feel even better and play at an even higher level,’’ Kljestan said. “He often says things in front of the team that … he expects big things. He told me, ‘For us to win, I expect you to be MVP.’ I challenge myself on an MVP level. I want to be MVP of the league, and he believes in me.”
It’s not much of a stretch. Kljestan tops the league in both accurate crosses and corners according to WhoScored.com, and sits second in key passes.
“For what he’s accomplished, he’s really down-to-earth,” teammate Mike Grella said. “He’s one of my closest friends here for sure. I couldn’t respect him any more as a player or a person. He’s a champion all-around. He knows how to be a pro, knows how to help the younger guys, knows how to train, knows how to play.’’
But can Kljestan convince U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann, who snubbed him for the 2014 World Cup and this summer’s Copa America?
“If you value performance in the league, if you look at the year-and-a-half that Sacha’s had in that position and the fact he’s been on one of the better teams and he’s been so essential and performed at such a high level — I don’t see how he’s not considered,’’ Marsch said. “For me, he deserves a look. … Based on where he is now he deserves to be on the national team.”
For Kljestan, getting back to the national team will be a function of winning with the Red Bulls.
“I try not to think about it too much. My sole focus is for the Red Bulls to get their first MLS Cup,’’ Kljestan said. “In the back of my mind I always hope for one more chance play in the national team jersey. If I do, I’ll be ready.”