In our latest edition of By the Numbers, we took a look at emerging US star Sacha Kljestan in Chivas USA's Thursday night game against FC Dallas.

In what was a lackluster game as a whole that ended in a 0-0 deadlock, Kljestan was one of the more active players on the field. The former Seton Hall Pirate was busier in the first half, but Dallas began to control possession more in the second 45 minutes which limited Kljestan’s effectiveness.

Chivas USA head coach Preki decided not to start the talented forward tandem of Maykel Galindo and Ante Razov, who have combined for 23 goals in 2007. Without those two, the Goats had a difficult time putting shots on net, which affected the way Kljestan played.

The decision to start John Cunliffe and Laurent Merlin up top forced Kljestan into a larger attacking and playmaking role. Kljestan’s added offensive responsibilities meant he had less of a role on defense, which is evident in some of the categories below.

Tough Touches
For this category, I looked for tight space movement, difficult to handle passes and passes under defensive pressure. Success of the play is indicated by whether Chivas USA maintained possession.

Kljestan had more than double the tough touches in the first half as he did in the second. He performed very well in this area, helping his team maintain control of the game in the first half. In particular, he did very well with one touch passes in tight spaces to give his teammates extra space.

In the second half, his efforts were limited, and thus the Goats had fewer opportunities to score and get the full three points.

First half - 12 for, 4 against
Second half - 6 for, 1 against

Bad Turnovers
Any ball that was tough to handle or any creative pass gone awry wasn't marked down. Any time the Chivas midfielder gave the ball away when he should have kept it, he was docked.

With only three bad turnovers in 90 minutes, Kljestan was very effective in keeping possession and limiting Dallas' opportunities. None of his turnovers led to scoring chances.

First half - 1
Second half - 2

Shots
The category will include the total shots attempted by Kljestan and the number he put on frame.

The Chivas midfielder took three shots, with two of them strong chances. Kljestan’s effort in the second half was perhaps the Goats' best chance at a goal all game.

FC Dallas goalkeeper Ray Burse Jr. made an initial save, but he let the rebound go straight into the box where Kljestan was unmarked. Unfortunately, he Goats midfielder fired towards the open net, but shot over the top.

First half - 2 Shots, 1 On goal
Second half - 1 Shots, 0 On goal

Fouls Committed
This category is pretty self-explanatory.

Kljestan did not commit any fouls against FC Dallas. Considering that the Chivas midfielder played in an attacking position, this should not come as too much of a surprise as he was not generally in a spot where he needed to foul a play to squelch an attack.

First half - 0
Second half - 0

Fouls Suffered
The opposite of the above category in that I counted the number of times Kljestan was fouled during the game.

It was a quiet night as he was fouled once in each half. Referee Brian Hall allowed the players to play a physical match. The physicality of the game and Hall's decision not to blow many whistles direct result in the low number of suffered fouls.

First half - 1
Second half - 1

Crosses
In this area, I took a look at the number of dangerous crosses sent in by the Seton Hall grad verses the number of turnover causing crosses.

The lone cross from Kljestan was on a free kick in the first half. His in-swinger into the box was well placed, but the glancing header did not trouble Burse.

First half - 1 good, 0 bad
Second half - 0 good, 0 bad

Assist Chance
Here we make a scratch mark for each time Kljestan served up a chance to fire on goal for a teammate.

Kljestan had a couple of moments of brilliance, but there was only one pass that resulted in a shot by a teammate. Late in the second half, the Goats countered and Kljestan laid off a ball for a teammate, but the shot was off target.

One thing that needs to be stressed in this section is that neither of the Goats top forwards started the game for the Goats, both coming in as second half substitutes.

First half - 0
Second half - 1

Breakups
Here, I examined the number of plays Kljestan broke up with either a tackle or a stolen pass.

Without Galindo and Razov for the majority of the game, Kljestan was forced to play farther up in the attack. His decreased defensive responsibilities were a key factor in him having only one breakup.

First half - 0
Second half - 1