LA Galaxy’s Sacha Kljestan demands action on gun control

“We’re doing nothing about it, and it makes me sick.”

In the wake of yet another mass shooting, LA Galaxy veteran Sacha Kljestan joined the growing chorus of U.S.-based soccer players calling for gun control legislation.

Kljestan spoke after the Galaxy’s 4-0 win over CF Montréal, a game in which he made his first appearance in nearly seven weeks. Despite those positives, Kljestan made no bones about what was on his mind.

“I’m actually gonna keep this really brief and not answer any questions about the game,” said Kljestan to reporters following the game. “I’m sick to my stomach about what’s happened in Illinois today,” referring to a mass shooting in Highland Park, Ill. on July 4th that to date has left seven people dead.

“I think we need to talk about gun control,” said Kljestan. “You guys can write about the game if you want, but I don’t really give a s—.”

Kljestan pleaded with Congress to pass gun control legislation, saying that the repeated pattern of mass shootings in the United States is “a sick, vicious cycle” of violence followed by social media posts and inaction. “We’re doing nothing about it, and it makes me sick.”

“I can’t even think about anything else,” added Kljestan. “I’m not a politician, but I’m a human being, and my kids, I fear for them when they go to school.”

Kljestan is not alone in the world of American soccer in calling for change. In the aftermath of the horrific shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas last month, the U.S. men’s national team last month wrote an open letter calling on Congress to pass all gun control legislation currently up for consideration, while the Washington Spirit took the field in shirts endorsing Brady United, an anti-gun violence non-profit.

Philadelphia Union midfielder Alejandro Bedoya made national headlines in 2019, ditching a goal celebration in favor of going to a field microphone used for broadcasts to demand action from Congress in stemming the torrent of gun violence in the country.

Watch Kljestan’s comments on gun control

[lawrence-related id=2262,2916,2824]