Kljestan Seeks to Impress U.S. With His Play, Not His Mustache GLASGOW - Furry facial hair seems to be a perpetual topic in American sports these days, but it also has its moments in the spotlight abroad. During a recent Champions League game between Paris St.-Germain and Anderlecht, United States midfielder Sacha Kljestan, who is a mainstay for the Belgian team, found himself chirping back and forth with the P.S.G. star Zlatan Ibrahimovic. "We were just jawing over a foul, which happens all the time," Kljestan said this week before a training session with the national team here. But then he started making fun of my mustache, so I had to defend myself. I said, "I don't think you should be talking with a nose like that." He didn't love that. Kljestan laughed about the exchange, and said he and Ibrahimovic ultimately shook hands and got on with the game. He added that he heard from several of his national team teammates about the run-in with Ibrahimovic, but that he is now focused on the more significant task in front of him: impressing United States Coach Jurgen Klinsmann in a pair of exhibition games, beginning with Friday's against Scotland. Kljestan is one of only two American players taking part in this season's UEFA Champions League - a point Klinsmann makes often - but he is also trying to find playing time with the national team at a position that is loaded with talent. Michael Bradley and Jermaine Jones seem entrenched in the midfield positions where Kljestan best fits, so he has struggled to get consistent playing time under Klinsmann. "I've had ups and downs," Kljestan said. I've been in the roster, out of the roster. I want to do anything possible to get on the plane to Brazil. Four years ago, Kljestan missed out on making the roster for the World Cup in South Africa. He was crushed when he learned he was being left behind, but he was buoyed shortly thereafter when he signed with Anderlecht. He has thrived in Belgium ever since, winning two league titles and becoming a constant in the starting lineup. Now, he hopes his performance in Europe will help him earn more stability with the national team. "After missing out in 2010, there is a lot of motivation," he said. To make it would be to achieve one of the goals I've had ever since I started playing. Dempsey Out Klinsmann said "it was a real shock" for the coaching staff to see midfielder Clint Dempsey limping off the training field Wednesday after he injured his calf. Dempsey, the United States captain, was clearly hobbled Thursday and will not play Friday against Scotland or Tuesday against Austria in Vienna. It is a disappointing development for Dempsey, who struggled through the conclusion of the Major League Soccer season after his transfer to Seattle from London's Tottenham Hotspur. "It is a big bummer for us," Klinsmann said. He is our captain. He is a leader in our group. What he has done over the last couple of years for us is priceless. He gets a couple of weeks off now, so that is good for him to rest. Klinsmann added that he was not concerned about the long-term status of Dempsey, or of Landon Donovan and Fabian Johnson, who are battling ankle injuries. Hampden Park's Makeover Friday's game at Hampden Park is the final one at the historic stadium for quite a while. A significant renovation will prepare it for next spring's Commonwealth Games. The construction, at a cost of about $21 million, is expected to create a top-level running track that is permanently raised about six-and-a-half feet above the soccer field. Because of the length of the construction and the staging of the Games, Hampden, which has long been Scotland's national soccer stadium, will not be used for soccer for more than a year.