MetroFanatic: We've talked a little bit about how strong your reaction was after the loss to Houston last season, how are you going to use that experience to propel yourself forward this year?
Luis Robles: Personally, the way last season ended with us exiting so quickly left such a bitter taste in my mouth. We left something on the table, and the only way we can make up for that is to work harder together as a team. I'm not the only one that feels this way, most of the individuals who were here last season feel the same as well. That can be an asset to us if we're able to use it as a motivational tool this season.

MF: This is the first time in a couple years when the club will have the previous year's starting goalkeeper healthy and ready to pick up where he left off.
LR: In regards to starting, we won't know for sure who won the competition for the role until that first lineup card is handed in on Saturday. Last year is in the past, and while a lot of good things happened for me personally as well as the team, my approach to this season has nothing to do with what happened last year. I've got to work as hard as I can every day to be the best teammate possible and to help this team win. Whatever capacity they want me in, whatever role, I'll do it faithfully and with a level of commitment that I hope is contagious for everyone around me.

MF: Last year, the team brought in a veteran mentor in Kevin Hartman. They clearly didn't feel the need to do so again this year, leaving you as the experienced voice among the goalkeepers.
LR: There definitely has to be personal development within myself as a leader, and with being a stronger voice in the back. I'm hoping that as long as I continue do the things that I can take care of, I'll develop that confidence to voice my opinion and encourage the guys around me. It's not a matter of being able to point out who is doing something wrong; it's about understanding and discerning what I can do or say to encourage the person next to me. I feel like if I can develop in that regard, it'll be an asset to my game.

MF: What impact do you think the changes in front of you will have with Olave potentially having a new partner and/or possible new starters at both fullback positions?
LR: There are a lot of questions right now about how we're going to find stability in the back line. It's not something that will come right away, but I'm confident that with the ability that each of these players possess, eventually we'll find it. I think that if we're able to stabilize those positions, it's going to be very bad news for the rest of the conference because when you couple that with our offensive prowess, we're going to be very dangerous.

MF: There have been some eccentric guys that have played between the sticks for this team over the years. What's your most notable eccentricity?
LR: Oh, man. A lot of times, people say to you that goalkeepers are supposed to be weird and what's weird about me is that I'm not in the slightest! For the most part, I'm very even keel, very calm. I know that the coaches would like for me to be more vocal at times, and that's something I can work on. The fact is though that one of my strengths is that I don't get rattled too often. That helped a lot last year because there were some difficult moments, but being able to stay the course mentally is what allowed me to get out of the funk I was in and into a role that was very influential.

MF: Did you feel like you were overlooked last year for any end-of-season honors considering you started every game for the team that won the Supporters' Shield?
LR: No, not necessarily. I understand that there's always going to be some politicking involved in those individual awards and if it worked out, that's great. I feel like there were a lot of players that did very well last year on teams that didn't earn any recognition. We know that as a team, we were all committed to achieving something special, we were able to hold the Shield at the end, and that's something that no one can ever take away from us. That being said, we're very hungry to be the team holding up the Cup at the end of this year!