New York Red Bulls midfielder Luke Sassano completed his second season with the organization in 2009. It was, in his own words (which follow below) a disappointing campaign. An eternal optimist (our label, not his) the UC-Berkeley graduate nevertheless took several initiatives to improve himself on the pitch and off it. To the latter end, he began to work with CHF International, the international development and humanitarian assistance organization. The partnership is his part of Athletes for Hope’s First Annual Who Gives! Racing for a Cause campaign.
ASN spoke with the 24-year old for our short piece that profiled his charitable work and found him not only friendly and outspoken, but surprisingly (due to his insistence of being “a math and sciences guy”) a very good writer. This led us to ask him to contribute as a guest columnist, and he agreed. In this first piece Luke gets us caught up on what he’s been doing since the team’s last game of the season. A second piece, on the Major League Soccer SuperDraft, is in the works. We hope to make this a regularly-occurring feature thereafter. If anybody has any idea for a name (“Sassano’s Shout-Outs”? “Sassano’s Soap Box”? “Luke Lips”? Uh, maybe not) post them in the comment area below. We can put them up for a vote later.
Before you ask, Luke says he is as much in the dark about the identity of the next Red Bulls coach as the rest of us. But it’s a great read anyway and we are grateful for his contribution. Read on:

The new year agenda is now beginning to gain steam. A chance for a blank slate. I, for one, am excited. We have a new place to call home with the opening of Red Bull Arena, a place that will really put soccer on the map in the New York/New Jersey area. I’m personally looking forward to being a part of the new era in Red Bulls soccer and am excited for our loyal fans who have waited over 10 years to get a soccer specific stadium–really 30 years if you go back to the New York Cosmos and the (first) NASL. I’m also looking forward to demonstrating how much we’ve learned from our mistakes last year. I want to go out and prove that 2009 does not define us as a team and that it was merely a fluke. As a team and an organization we have learned a lot from the ups and downs of this last year. It was frustrating for everyone involved, especially our fans. I can’t wait for that first game on grass and to finally to be off of the cement-like turf at Giants Stadium.
Although last season didn’t go as planned for me personally or for our organization, there were many things to learn that ultimateley will help us in our quest for the MLS Cup. On one of the positive notes, after the season, Jeremy Hall, Nick Zimmerman (who is now with Philly), and myself were able to visit our sister team in Salzburg to train for three weeks. It was a great experience. We got to see first hand how different the level and style of play is over there and witness the organization’s overall professionalism and commitment to achieving success. We trained with the reserves team, which is mostly made up of players about our age, and had the opportunity to play the first team in a friendly scrimmage. What really stood out to me was how committed the players were. Most, if not all the players on the reserve team had never gone to college. To me the mentaliity in Europe seemed that either you become a professional footballer at a young age or you go to a university–there is no in between. Another thing I noticed is how meticulous the practices are and how intricately-woven the organization is from top to bottom. And lastly, the facilities were top notch. I thought our facilities at Montclair State were the best I had ever seen for a professional soccer training ground, but these facilities in Austria really were a sight.
Besides playing soccer I also had a chance to see the sights. Austria is a beautiful country and Salzburg, based at the foot of the Alps, is incredibly picturesque. My time in Austria was a great learning experience and I hope to use that as a springboard into our preseason.
So the offseason has been very busy and the hard work as already begun. We report in mid-January for training camp where we get to meet our new sporting director as well as our new coach. I’m not sure what the preseason schedule holds for us, but i know it’s going to be exciting as well as challenging. We know we have a lot of work ahead, all of which starts with establishing the proper foundation in preseason.
The opening of Red Bull Arena I believe will be a turning point in the history soccer in this country. I also think the level of investment in soccer in the U.S. will put the MLS on the map to a worldwide audience. I couldn’t be any more excited or happy to have the opportunity to be a part of this time in New York Red Bull History. Until next time.
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