MetroFanatic: Luke, a very stupid question... Why do you wear #32?
Luke Sassano: When I first got here, the equipment manager said, there are only two jerseys left, 16 and 32. So I rationalized in my brain, 32, Magic Johnson, I'm a Lakers fan. OK, 32.

MF: But you were the 32nd pick of the draft. Is that just a coincidence?
LS: Just a coincidence. After I realized that two weeks later...

MF: Jeff Parke pioneered it by wearing #60.
LS: I remember that, that was Parke's whole thing. So I don't want to steal it from him.

MF: So it's just randomness.
LS: Definitely.

MF: So you're from California, you're a Lakers fan...
LS: Of course.

MF: Well, in this part of the country...
LS: I know. I grew up a Lakers fan and then moved up to Northern California, so I root for the Lakers and the Warriors, but the Warriors are just awful now.

MF: So you're saying you're rooting for a team which wins?
LS: You know... Yes, except for the Warriors. And they're not winning.

MF: Because if people only rooted for teams that win, this team would have no fans left.
LS: Exactly. Fans, like our fans last year, they were still rooting for us every day, and we weren't winning. It's definitely gonna show this year when we start winning and the fans are gonna be cheering and they're gonna be great like they always are.

MF: What's the biggest difference between your old coach and your current coach?
LS: Hans has definitely brought his own philosophy, not just on the field but off the field. It's basically organization. You have a system of play, we like to get our defense set. We're not gonna change the way we play for anybody. We're gonna play the same way, exciting, fun, competitive soccer.

MF: Winning soccer, hopefully.
LS: Exactly. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter how pretty you play, what matters is the scoreline.

MF: They've been trying a lot of right backs, but it looks like it's between you and Jeremy at this point.
LS: Yeah, it's been very competitive during the preseason. I was out in the beginning with a concussion. For Jeremy last year, it's not his natural position, so for him to slide back there and do what he did, he's grown as a player, and he's still only 21 years old. I think he did a great job for us.

MF: And for you playing right back?
LS: I played right back a little in college. I love playing right back, especially the way we play because the backs get to go forward.

MF: It seems last year the backs pushed up a lot, leaving space...
LS: Yeah, definitely. Last year we didn't have much organization when it came to playing collective defense as a team. This year, the coach doesn't care if both our backs go forward, as long as we keep the defensive shape, we'll be fine.