Sacramento Republic FC is adding to its roster for the 2025 USL Championship season with defender Freddy Kleemann. The center back arrives following two seasons with the Tampa Bay Rowdies, where he established himself as a mainstay of the backline and made waves with standout statistics. The transfer is pending league and federation approval but is already making waves behind the scenes and building anticipation for the club's next season.
Follow Playing for 90 on X (Twitter).
Defensive solidity and USL background
In the past few seasons, Kleemann has emerged as one of the most dependable defenders in the league. At Tampa Bay, he featured in 4,208 minutes of play in 58 matches, displaying his steadiness and ability to feature on a weekly basis. Additionally, he was a defensive pillar, racking up 181 clearances, 38 blocks, 48 interceptions, and 39 tackles won.
His aerial duel superiority is another one of his strong points. At 155 won aerial battles, he ranked among the top seven defenders in that category in the league. Being a team in need of defensive solidity and muscle, Kleemann is ideal for head coach Neill Collins, who also had him under his watch when he was at Tampa Bay.
It's little wonder Sacramento Republic President and General Manager Todd Dunivant emphasized those qualities when commenting on the signing:
"Freddy is an established commodity within our league and has played excellent minutes the previous two seasons. He brings a physical presence to our back four and fits in with our mode of play in winning the ball back as efficiently as possible."
From MLS to USL
At 25, Kleemann has plenty of experience already in his professional career. A California native, Kleemann was selected 11th overall by Austin FC in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft, but it only lasted three appearances on the field for MLS. Even with that short time, however, the experience was worth it as he adjusted to playing professional soccer.
He was loaned to Birmingham Legion in 2021 and 2022, where he started to gain playing time in the USL Championship before making the full-time transition to Tampa Bay Rowdies. It was in Florida that he found his rhythm, developed his game, and proved his value. Now, for Sacramento Republic FC, he enters a new categorization, not as the promising youth anymore, but as an experienced defender seeking to steady a defense on a roster pursuing league domination.