Aside from his own father’s influence, there was another father figure, farther East, who had a strong impact on Kljestan’s development and appreciation of the game.
Deep Open Cup Roots in Jersey
American soccer legend Manny Schellscheidt, an Open Cup winner and star from the old rough-and-tumble days in the middle of the last century, was Kljestan’s college coach at Seton Hall. He’s also, at 81, one of Kljestan’s biggest admirers. “He’s a special player; a composer of beautiful music,” the German-born Schellscheidt said of his former midfield schemer. “I would have loved to play with him. he’s the kind of player who could have played on any field at any time.”
The two keep in close touch. “The stories – how he arrived in the States on a Tuesday, was registered to play on Wednesday, and was on the field in Farcher's Grove and playing on Saturday,” Kljestan said of his coach and mentor Schellscheidt – one of the first to see his own unique qualities as a player.
“I would have loved to play with him back in the day,” Kljestan himself added, echoing his old coach’s sentiments. “You could see, when he’d jump on the field when we needed an extra, what a crafty player he was. And what a left foot.”
