OBETZ, Ohio – When Gregg Berhalter brought Chris Klute to Columbus Crew SC in a trade at the 2015 MLS Superdraft, the former Colorado Rapids defender was coming off a year below his own standards and looking for a fresh start.
After logging seven assists in 30 starts for Colorado in 2013, Klute found only one in 24 starts last season, and was happy to have a change of scenery.
“Going into the offseason, that was the goal, to get my mind right, focus and get back in tune and don’t let last year get in the way of a long career,” he said. “There were definitely some bumps in the road, but I think coming here is really going to smooth it out. I’m excited.”
With Costa Rican international Waylon Francis in front of him on the left side of the Crew SC defense, Klute knew that he wouldn’t be a guaranteed name on the team sheet each week.
But that didn’t bother him, and Klute came into the situation ready to learn and hoping to return to his 2013 form.
“Coming into the team I knew [Francis] was a decent left back,” he said. “He had a good performance last year. And for me, not having the best year last year, it was more for me to work off the field, not just on the field. For me, I felt like having another left back we can watch each other and learn from each other. If I’m on the sideline one game I can watch and learn, and for me it’s just developing the details.”
And as one of Berhalter’s high-octane fullbacks, Klute had plenty to learn in a system that relies so heavily on the way its outside defenders cause problems for opposition. But he said it was more running than re-imagining his game.
“What they ask of the fullbacks is my strengths – going forward, overlapping and defending,” he said. “So for me, it was just a matter of the transition, going from offense to defense. That was the only difference because of the way they have the fullbacks and how they have them going forward … So it’s more fitness-based. In terms of how they play, I’m comfortable with it.”
But Klute and Berhalter both agree that there’s work to be done, even after Klute’s first three appearances of the season in relief of Francis.
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“He’s still learning,” Berhalter said. “There are some times when we want him to be more aggressive. He has a tremendous capacity, and we want him to use it. Because he can get forward and really hurt the [opposing] team when he’s in attack.”
And while Klute has some positioning to work on, he’s finding it easy to fit in with the Crew SC organization on and off the field.
“The guys are awesome here,” he said. “The transition from [Colorado] to here was smooth. The guys are good, the play style is fun and I’m just loving the game more every day with this club.
“The organization is awesome, the coaching staff is good, the fans are great, the stadium. It’s been fun.”
