SAN JOSE, CALIF — Sitting next to Kaká would be enough to make 15-year-old Sacha Kljestan kick himself, never mind chatting over dinner and playing soccer with him.
"He's a guy that I watched so much growing up, plays a similar position," said Kljestan, now 30, a midfielder for the New York Red Bulls and leading Major League Soccer in assists with 12. "Idolizing him and now getting to know him off the field … and to be in training with some of the best players in the world and the best players in our league, it's a pretty cool experience.