Sacha Kljestan capped his landmark 2016 campaign by clinching the league's top assists mark on Sunday, finishing the regular season with 19 helpers as the New York Red Bulls beat the Philadelphia Union, 2-0, at Talen Energy Stadium.
Kljestan's assists tally marks the most in the league since the second assist rule was changed in 2002, a total only matched by Steve Ralston in 2002, Guillermo Barros Schelotto in 2008 and Landon Donovan in 2014.
Kljestan and RBNY now look ahead to the Audi 2016 MLS Cup Playoffs, which kick off for them next weekend vs. the lowest-seeded team to advance out of the Eastern Conference's Knockout Round.
The assists achievement marks the latest milestone in a career year for Kljestan, who earned a return to the US national team setup in late summer after an extended absence from Jurgen Klinsmann's squad.
The 31-year-old playmaker made his first USMNT appearances in more than two years in September's World Cup qualifiers vs. St. Vincent & the Grenadines and Trinidad & Tobago, bagging two goals and two assists. He went on to start both of last month's US friendlies, putting himself in position to play a role in November's key Hexagonal qualifiers vs. Mexico and at Costa Rica.
Kljestan has also netted six goals in MLS play, and three more in US Open Cup and CONCACAF Champions League action, as the Red Bulls powered their way to first place in the Eastern Conference and a place in the 2016-17 CCL quarterfinals.
