This month, Sacha Kljestan and Chivas USA agreed to a transfer fee with Belgian side Anderlecht. The details of a transfer were not disclosed. It’s a move that was expected at some point as Kljestan is a rising star and nearly made a move in the 2009 winter transfer window to Celtic. He was on the 30 man preliminary roster for the USA but didn’t make the final 24.

Kljestan recently spoke with Anderlecht in an interview posted on their website about the move. One thing that probably attracted Kljestan is the ability to play in the UEFA Champions League as Anderlecht qualified for by winning the Belgian league. They aren’t in the group stage but are in the third qualifying round and will need to advance through that and a play-off round to make the group stage. Below is the interview.

Sacha Kljestan Talks About Move To Anderlecht (Full story can be found on the club’s official site here)

“I am glad to be part of the Anderlecht family”, Kljestan said. “I really feel at home here. I haven’t been able to see much of Brussels yet, but as soon as I’ve found a place to live, I’m going to explore the city. One thing I’m going to miss about LA? The candy”, he smiled.

The 24-year-old midfielder, who is hoping to learn French soon, has also adjusted well during training. “Things are great here in Tegelen: the environment’s pleasant, we’re staying at a nice hotel and training is also going well. I’m happy to be part of a group with so many talented players.” One of the midfielder’s strong points is the fact that he can play pretty much anywhere. “I’m a box-to-box midfielder, so I have both defensive and attacking qualities. Moreover, I run a lot and I’m also skilled at passing.” He owes a lot to his father, a former semi-professional player. “My father has always supported me and he has taught me a lot. He often took me and my older brother, who is currently playing for the second-division team FC Tampa Bay, to the park to practise.”

Before he became a pro player, the Californian played for the Seton Hall University team, where he majored in sports management. “That was an amazing time. Although I only completed three out of four years – because I wanted to start my professional career – it was wonderful to play for that team.” But Kljestan is most proud of his achievements as an international. “There have been two peaks in my career up until now: playing at the Olympics in Beijing and making it to the final of the Confederations Cup in 2009, which we unfortunately lost 2-3 to Brazil.” The midfielder always carries the memory of the Olympics, where he scored twice in three matches, with him. “On my left arm, I have a tattoo of the Olympic wreath, 2008 in roman numerals and the Latin word ‘Somnium’, which means ‘To Dream’. My other tattoo, ‘VGSK’, represents the initials of my sister, brother, father and mother.”

KV Mechelen v Germinal Beerschot

Standard Liege v Roeselare

Westerlo v Anderlecht

Arsenal beats Standard Liege 2-0 – Video Highlights

Arsenal would dominate the first half and take the lead on a 35th minute goal from Samir Nasri. The Gunners responded well from their disappointing loss in the EPL on the weekend. Standard Liege created few chances and could not match the play of Arsenal throughout the match.

Just before the end of the first half, Arsenal would extend their lead to 2-0 with a goal from Denilson. Standard had only one shot on goal in the entire match and only 27% of possession. Arsenal has no qualified for the knockout stage.

UEFA Champions League Recap – Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Liverpool failed to win and their chances of advancing out the group stage took a major hit. They had a 1-0 lead late at Lyon but conceded a goal to end in a 1-1 draw. Arsenal had no trouble against AZ Alkmaar and won 4-1. Rangers, like Liverpool, were up 1-0 late before conceding a late goal and putting their knockout stage chances in serious doubt.

Inter Milan finally got their first win and now leads the group with a 2-1 win over Dynamo Kiev. FC Barcelona and FK Rubin Kazan played to a scoreless draw. The group of these four clubs is very crowded and any team could still qualify.

Standard Liege beat Olympiacos 2-0 and Fiorentina beat Debrecen 5-2. Debrecen is the only club to not have a point in the group stage.

Overall, the group standings are very close and a very real possibility that clubs like Liverpool, Inter Milan, FC Barcelona, and Rangers could all miss out.

UEFA Champions League Video Highlights – Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Matchday 4 – 04 November 2009

UEFA Champions League Recap – Tuesday, October 20, 2009

There were several upsets and surprise results on Tuesday. Rubin Kazan defeated FC Barcelona at the Camp Nou, Lyon defeated Liverpool at Anfield, and Rangers were crushed at home.

Barcelona looked average in their match and its not unexpected to have a let down once in a while. Liverpool was missing Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard (only played 25 minuted then left in 1st half) but still had a lead late in the match. They conceded two goals in the final 20 or so minutes as the Anfield faithful were stunned. It’s  a terrible loss and they could miss out on the knockout stage.

Rangers once again were beaten easily at home and don’t appear to be able to compete in the Champions League this season. Arsenal had a lead against AZ Alkmaar but conceded a 90th minute goal to get a 1-1 draw. None of the big clubs had victories as there were several draws. Inter Milan once again had a draw as they couldn’t defeat Dynamo Kiev. Milan conceded an own goal which proved to be the difference and they would have likely won without it.

Overall, the group stage is at its halfway stage and most of the groups are still very close in the standings.

Video Highlights

Matchday 3 – 20 October 2009

Overall, it’s only two matches into the group stage and plenty of time for teams to recover that have yet to get a win or point. Here are video highlights for the matches on Tuesday, September 29, 2009.

Video Highlights

Predictions (times listed are GMT)

Tuesday, 29 September 2009

AZ v Standard Liege, Gp H, 19:45 – Draw 1-1

Arsenal v Olympiakos, Gp H, 19:45 – Arsenal win 2-0

Barcelona v Dynamo Kiev, Gp F, 19:45 – Barcelona win 3-1

Debrecen v Lyon, Gp E, 19:45 – Lyon wins 1-0

Fiorentina v Liverpool, Gp E, 19:45 – Liverpool wins 1-0

Rangers v Sevilla, Gp G, 19:45 – Rangers win 3-2

Rubin Kazan v Inter Milan, Gp F, 17:30 – Draw 0-0

Unirea Urziceni v VfB Stuttgart, Gp G, 19:45 – Draw 1-1

Wednesday, 30 September 2009

AC Milan v FC Zurich, Gp C, 19:45 – AC Milan wins 4-1

Apoel Nicosia v Chelsea, Gp D, 19:45 – Chelsea wins 1-0

Bayern Munich v Juventus, Gp A, 19:45 – Bayern Munich wins 2-1

Bordeaux v Maccabi Haifa, Gp A, 19:45 – Bordeaux wins 3-0

CSKA Moscow v Besiktas, Gp B, 17:30 – Draw 2-2

FC Porto v Atletico Madrid, Gp D, 19:45 – Porto wins 1-0

Man Utd v Wolfsburg, Gp B, 19:45 – Man U wins 4-0

Real Madrid v Marseille, Gp C, 19:45 – Real Madrid wins 4-2

USA & UK TV Listings and Video Previews (click on each match, most will be added later on Sept 28)

In the initial rankings, FC Barcelona, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Arsenal, Manchester United, and Liverpool are at the top as they had good performances in their first group stage matches. AC Milan and Inter are also in the top 10 representing Italy but still have to prove they can compete with those other top teams from the Premiership and La Liga. Here’s are the power rankings.

1. Manchester United
2. FC Barcelona
3. Chelsea
4. Real Madrid
5. Liverpool
6. Arsenal
7. AC Milan
8. Bayern Munich
9. Wolfsburg
10. Sevilla
11. Lyon
12. Internazionale (Inter Milan)
13. Juventus
14. FC Porto
15. Bordeaux
16. Rangers
17. Marseille
18. Dynamo Kiev
19. Olympiacos
20. Fiorentina
21. Stuttgart
22. Atletico Madrid
23. Besiktas
24. Standard Liege
25. APOEL FC
26. AZ Alkmaar
27. PFC CSKA Sofia
28. Debrecen VSC
29. FC Rubin Kazan
30. FC Unirea Urziceni
31. Maccabi Haifa FC
32. FC Zurich

Now, the rankings are really an estimate as there’s only been one week of matches and hard to tell how good some teams are outside of the top 5. There’s clear a drop off from the bottom half to the top and several teams in the middle such as Lyon, Rangers, and Wolfsburg. The next set of rankings will be published on Thursday, October 1, 2009.