How is ex-Leeds United midfielder Mateusz Klich getting on? | OneFootball

Looking at Mateusz Klich's last few seasons in MLS with DC United since his exit from Leeds United in 2023.

Leeds United's latest Championship season is now underway, with the Whites embarking on their second season at second tier level after three years in the Premier League.

After failure to bounce back up at the first time of asking, a host of changes have been made yet again behind the scenes for Leeds under two-time winner of the Championship, Daniel Farke.

Prior to last season, the last time Leeds played in English football's second tier, they won the league under the stewardship of Marcelo Bielsa, ending their 16-year-exile from the top-flight.

There were many key components of that team, from Pablo Hernandez and Luke Ayling who have since left the club for pastures new, to the likes of Patrick Bamford and Illan Meslier who still remain with the club in 2024/25.

One player who was a vital player under Bielsa for many years was Mateusz Klich. The Pole was a huge fan favourite at Elland Road.

Mateusz Klich's time at Leeds United

Klich became a player who had his fair share of moments in getting under the opposition's skin. He joined Leeds in 2017, signing from Dutch side FC Twente.

Despite initially struggling to break into Thomas Christiansen's plans consistently, thus heading back to the Netherlands for a stint on loan with FC Utrecht, Klich managed to impress Bielsa in pre-season during the summer of 2018.

Not only that, but Klich actually netted the first competitive goal of the Bielsa era as he fired home the opener inside 15 minutes of their first Championship game of the season against recently-relegated Stoke City.

The Polish international midfielder then became a key component in the side, scoring or assisting 19 goals in 50 games as a virtually ever-present fixture in the team in 2018/19, despite the season ending in disappointment with play-off defeat to Derby County.

That consistency and availability continued into 2019/20, with Klich's engine and technical quality again key to Leeds' success, where Leeds managed to go one better and win promotion from the Championship under Bielsa during the 2019/20 season.

Klich started in 45 of 46 league games and registered six goals and five assists, while signing a new four-and-a-half-year deal in a clear sign that he was there to stay as an important cog in the Argentine's system.

After he then helped establish the team in the Premier League, the 34-year-old was underutilised by Jesse Marsch, thus he left Leeds in January 2023 for MLS side DC United, but not before featuring in 195 games for the Whites, collecting 24 goals and 21 assists in the process.

From squirting bottles at players, to his binoculars away at Derby County, Klich was renowned for moments which endeared him to the Leeds fans, as well as his impressive performances on the pitch, particularly during those first two seasons under Bielsa in the Championship.

Whilst Klich was at the club, Leeds fans dubbed incidents involving him as 'Klich-housery' but have not had a player emulate it to quite the extent of Klich, who was a master of his craft.

On 4 January 2023, Klich played his last game for Leeds, with his teammates changing into shirts with Klich's face on and forming a guard of honour to applaud him off the pitch.

Klich was emotional and visibly moved, thanking the crowd that largely remained behind and then disappearing down the tunnel. He remains a modern day hero in Leeds' recent history.

Mateusz Klich's career post-Leeds

During the year-and-a-half period since leaving Leeds, Klich has only played for his new club DC United.

Last season, his new side finished 12th in the Eastern Conference of 15 sides, thus failing to qualify for the play-offs. He featured 33 times for his new side, scoring four and assisting a further seven, with Christian Benteke in the same side.

This year is so far heading for a similar conclusion, with DC sat 11th from 27 games, with Klich featuring in 25 of those fixtures. The 24-year-old has scored two and assisted a further three in the MLS this term, whilst also notching a goal and an assist in the Leagues Cup.

Klich has maintained his decision to wear the famous No.43 shirt number, which he wore during his time at Leeds too. But things have not been as successful for him across the pond, despite the remarkable goal record of their club-captain, Benteke.

The majority of Klich's games have come as a central or attacking midfielder, but he has also been deployed off the left flank on a handful of occasions. He is one of their key players, starting in all 25 of his games this year, including a 3-1 win over Toronto recently.

One of the games Klich missed came from accumulating five yellow cards in eight games, perhaps highlighting that his "housery" streak has not left him from during his time in West Yorkshire.