SACRAMENTO, Calif. – A familiar face will return to Sacramento Republic FC’s back line, potentially as early as this Saturday’s clash with Western Conference-leader Real Monarchs SLC at Papa Murphy’s Park, after Republic FC announced on Tuesday the return of veteran defender Emrah Klimenta for the remainder of the 2018 season.

“We are thrilled to welcome Emrah back home for his fifth season with the club,” said Republic FC General Manager Todd Dunivant. “His leadership and presence will be a big boost for us, and integrating a player of his caliber will only make us better as we hit a crucial period in the season.”

Klimenta re-joins Republic FC after spending the first part of the 2018 season with Major League Soccer’s LA Galaxy, playing alongside international stars such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Giovani Dos Santos and Romain Alessandrini.

Klimenta was first signed by Republic FC ahead of the club’s inaugural season in 2014 and was a key part of the side that claimed the USL Cup that September. Klimenta is the Republic FC’s all-time leader with 112 starts and 119 appearances and has logged a record 10,115 minutes on the pitch. He also scored nine goals and recorded six assists in league play, helping the team to four consecutive appearances in the USL Cup Playoffs.

The Montenegro native has six international caps for his home country. In 2016, Klimenta earned his first cap in a friendly against Turkey and was called in for two separate World Cup Qualifying legs later that year.