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          U.S. team adds New York Red Bulls' Sacha Kljestan, loses Brooks to injury

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          Video via MLS: Kljestan connects all the dots for NYRB (2:25)

          MLSsoccer.com's Armchair Analyst Matt Doyle analyzes how important Sacha Kljestan is to the New York Red Bulls following their 1-0 victory over the New England Revolution. (2:25)

          • Jeff Carlisle, U.S. soccer correspondentAug 29, 2016, 11:10 AM ET
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              Jeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team for ESPN FC.

          U.S. national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann has added New York Red Bulls midfielder Sacha Kljestan to the squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

          Meanwhile, Hertha Berlin defender John Brooks will not join the team in camp after suffering from back issues, U.S. Soccer said on Monday.

          The U.S. team faces St. Vincent and the Grenadines on Sept. 2 and Trinidad & Tobago on Sept. 6.

          Kljestan has earned 46 caps and scored four goals since making his national team debut in 2007.

          Brooks went 90 minutes in Berlin's 2-1 victory over Freiburg last weekend in the Bundesliga opener for both teams, but will now miss out on a chance to build on the momentum he generated at the Copa America earlier this summer, when he was excellent in central defense alongside Geoff Cameron.

          D.C. United's Steve Birnbaum, Omar Gonzalez of Pachuca, Sporting Kansas City's Matt Besler, and Club Tijuana's Michael Orozco are in line to take Brooks' spot in the lineup.

          The call-up has been a long time coming for Kljestan, who last appeared for the U.S. in a 2-0 friendly loss to Ukraine on March 5, 2014 in Lanarca, Cyprus.

          "We are thrilled to have Sacha back in our group because since months he's playing really on a very good level with the New York Red Bulls. So this call for him, he totally deserved that. We are happy to have him back, Klinsmann said on Monday.

          "Obviously the competition within the national team is huge, especially in his position in midfield. There, we have the two kind of big shots with Michael Bradley and Jermaine Jones and other players who are around like a Alejandro Bedoya or a Graham Zusi.

          "They all want their spots, so it's not easy to break back into that group. Sacha made it now. We are looking forward to work with him over the next 10 days, and it depends then on him how far he can push it"

          Since joining the Red Bulls prior to the start of the 2015 campaign, Kljestan has been in excellent form, and so far this season has scored five goals along with a league-leading 15 assists.

          The U.S. will be aiming to clinch advancement to the final round Hexagonal, and could secure passage as soon as this Friday, when it takes on St. Vincent and the Grenadines in Kingstown, with a win or a Guatemala loss. The U.S. will play T&T in Jacksonville, Fla. the following Tuesday.