Local coach intergalactic

Google Los Angeles Galaxy defender Chris Klein and a video of his infamous bicycle kick goal in the Superliga finals will show up. The kids in the Newport Mesa Soccer Club won’t have to view that incredible moment, they can just ask Klein to show them how to do it.

Klein, an 11-year veteran of Major League Soccer and a starter for the Galaxy, has decided to circulate throughout the 21 teams in the NMSC as a member of the coaching staff.

The idea of getting a professional athlete out to any youth sports practice is relatively unheard of and the fact that Klein, 32, has decided to join the coaching staff is remarkable. After being traded to the Galaxy in mid-season in 2007, Klein became a Newport Coast resident and eventually started checking out the different local soccer clubs. But it was the Newport Mesa Soccer Club that caught his attention.

Prior to joining the staff, Klein had only made a guest appearance as a Galaxy player at one NMSC practice. But after settling into the community with his wife and two kids, he decided to contact club president Mark Arblaster and start helping with the players. Now he is making his appearances as a coach.

“It has been a dream come true,” Arblaster said. “To have an active professional player to come to your practices; it just doesn’t happen. And knock on wood, if all goes well, he will be with us for years to come.”

Klein will bring his knowledge and experience to the young players and is excited about how much the kids are able to retain. The advantage to having Klein work with the players is the speed at which the players will develop. He can bring the same aspects of training and playing that he does with the Galaxy to the young players at each level of the club. The important thing for Klein is to get across some of the basic technical aspects of soccer that he uses at the professional level.

“The development of kids is really where it’s at,” Klein said before starting a session with the U-10 girls’ team. “And that is what I love about this club.”

Klein, who played collegiately at Indiana, said he is excited about helping Newport Mesa players develop.