Indiana University Athletics
Klein Shines in U.S. National Team Victory
2/20/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Feb. 20, 2006
FRISCO, Texas - Former Indiana men's soccer player Chris Klein continued to make his push for the U.S. World Cup team with an impressive performance in the United States' 4-0 victory over Guatemala at Pizza Hut Park on Feb. 19. Klein earned ussoccer.com's Man of the Match honor, assisting on two goals and scoring another in the victory.
Klein set up two first-half goals during a seven-minute stretch. He found Ben Olsen in the 38th minute and Brian Ching in the 45th to send the U.S. into the break with a 2-0 lead.
In the 71st minute, Klein's hard work paid off with a goal of his own. A rebound ended up on the foot of Klein following a shot from Chris Rolfe. The former Hoosier slid the ball through the defense for his second goal in three matches for the U.S. He also netted a goal in a 5-0 U.S. win over Norway on Jan. 29.
Klein is attempting to impress U.S. National Team manager Bruce Arena enough to garner one of the 23 roster spots for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Klein was a late addition to the U.S. training camp in early January, but has played in all four U.S. matches since. In those affairs, he has notched two goals and two assists with two starts. The U.S. training camp and games are some of the final steps in Arena's selection of 23 players for the final World Cup roster in June. The U.S. will be a part of Group E with Italy, Ghana and the Czech Republic.
Klein played for IU from 1994-97 and finished his career with 56 points on 19 goals and 18 assists. He earned first team All-Big Ten honors as a junior and a senior. In 1997, he helped the Hoosiers to 23 straight victories before a triple overtime loss in the national semifinals to UCLA. He garnered first team NSCAA All-Great Lakes Region honors that season.
The Kansas City Wizards selected Klein with the fourth overall pick in 1998 SuperDraft. He spent eight seasons with the Wizards before being traded to Real Salt Lake during this offseason. The eight-year MLS veteran has played in (200) and started (183) more games as well as scored more goals (39) and registered more assists (45) than any other Hoosier in the MLS. This past season, Klein was named the MLS Comeback Player of the Year after he missed the latter stages of the 2004 season with a knee injury.
