Sebastian Lietget will soon be making a new home on the other side of the country. His move comes as a result of the LA Galaxy trading the 29-year-old midfielder to the New England Revolution for at least $500K in allocation money.
The amount of money the Galaxy gets could increase to $1.3 million based on Lletget’s performance at his new club. He wore the Galaxy shirt in a total of 158 games over seven seasons, scoring 23 goals and assisting a further 27. Last season, he recorded three goals and five assists in 26 games, out of which he started 21. Lletget is also a USMNT player, featuring 33 times and scoring eight goals for the national side.
New England won the Supporters’ Shield in the 2021 regular season, but was knocked out of the playoffs in the Eastern Conference semifinals by eventual MLS Cup winners New York City FC.
DA BOY!
Welcome to the #NERevs, @SLletget! pic.twitter.com/qK2m5MREcM
— New England Revolution (@NERevolution) December 16, 2021
Lletget: ‘They showed me that they really want me’
Talking to reporters in a Zoom meeting after the trade was confirmed, Lletget exposed the main reason behind his move: “There was interest around the league, but there can always be interest. Until a club actually takes the next step, the initiative, and really shows that they want you — Bruce Arena and New England did that, and that’s what really got me excited”.
New England manager Bruce Arena is happy to have Lletget in his team, saying “we have acquired a midfielder who has experienced success at both the MLS and international level.” Talking about Lletget’s qualities, Arena stressed “he is a talented player who is a dependable box-to-box player, can score goals, and is an excellent team player. Sebastian is a great addition to our team.”
Born in San Francisco, Lletget joined English club West Ham United at 17-years-old. He spent a year in the youth teams, then signed a professional contract with the East London club. He made his debut for the West Ham seniors’ side in an official game on Jan. 5, 2014, but his team recorded a heavy 5-0 loss to Nottingham Forest in the third round of the FA Cup. In May 2015, after not featuring in any other game for West Ham, Lletget penned a deal with the LA Galaxy.
During his career, Lletget won the Gold Cup (2021) and the CONCACAF Nations League (2020) with the USMNT, but has no trophies at the club level.