Luke Sassano
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Luke Stephan Sassano | ||
| Date of birth | October 14, 1985 | ||
| Place of birth | Orinda, California, United States | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||
| Playing position | Defender, Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2004–2007 | California Golden Bears | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2006 | San Francisco Seals | 12 | (2) |
| 2007 | San Jose Frogs | 13 | (0) |
| 2008–2010 | New York Red Bulls | 38 | (0) |
| 2011–2012 | Sporting Kansas City | 10 | (1) |
| 2012 | Carolina RailHawks | 3 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of September 26, 2012. † Appearances (Goals). | |||
Luke Stephan Sassano (born October 14, 1985 in Orinda, California) is an American former soccer player who is currently the assistant technical director for the New York Cosmos.
Career
Youth and College
Sassano began his career at Lamorinda Soccer Club. He attended Miramonte High School in Orinda, California, and played college soccer at the University of California, Berkeley. He was an All Pac-10 Honorable Mention in 2005, a Pac-10 All-Academic Honorable Mention in 2007, and featured in a total of 64 games scoring four goals and registering 19 assists during his four-year career for the Golden Bears. During his college years Sassano also played for USL Premier Development League sides San Francisco Seals and San Jose Frogs.
Professional
Sassano was drafted with the 32nd pick of the 2008 MLS SuperDraft by New York Red Bulls and made his debut on 5 April 2008 in a home game against Columbus Crew. He was a valuable member of the squad in 2008 as his versatility enabled him to receive significant playing time in his rookie campaign. With the injury to starting defensive midfielder Seth Stammler, Sassano was inserted into the starting lineup for the clubs first round MLS Playoff series against the defending champion Houston Dynamo. Sassano's solid defensive play helped the club upset heavily favored Houston 4-1 on aggregate, helping the club reach the Western Conference Final.
During his second season, Sassano featured in 17 regular season games playing primarily as a defensive midfielder. Following the 2009 Major League Soccer season, Sassano went on a three week training stint with sister club FC Red Bull Salzburg.
After the 2010 MLS season New York declined Sassano's contract option and Sassano elected to participate in the 2010 MLS Re-Entry Draft. On December 15, 2010 Sassano was selected by Los Angeles Galaxy in Stage 2 of the Re-Entry draft[1] and subsequently traded to Sporting Kansas City.[2] He signed with Sporting KC on January 12, 2011.[3] On June 12, 2011 he scored his first Major League Soccer goal in a 4-1 victory over FC Dallas.[4] He re-signed with SKC on January 30, 2012.[5]
Sassano was waived by Kansas City on June 29, 2012.[6] In September 2012, Sassano joined North American Soccer League side Carolina RailHawks for the remainder of the season. After the conclusion of the 2012 season, Sassano entered the 2012 MLS Re-Entry Draft. He became a free agent after going undrafted in both rounds of the draft.
Post-Professional / Managerial
After multiple injuries—including two knee surgeries in 2012—Sassano chose to retire as a professional soccer player, but he wished to remain involved in the sport. On April 16, 2013, it was announced that Sassano was named assistant technical director for the New York Cosmos. Along with scouting for talent both domestically and internationally, he is responsible for negotiating contracts and managing the roster.[7]
Career statistics
Updated 31 October 2008
| Club | Season |  Major League Soccer |
US Open Cup | MLS Cup | CONCACAF | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | ||
| New York Red Bulls |
2008 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | - | - | 23 | 0 |
| 2009 | 17 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 19 | 0 | |||
| 2010 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 7 | 0 | |
| Sporting Kansas City |
2011 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 1 | ||||
| Club Total | 47 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 0 | - | - | 61 | 1 | |
Honors
New York Red Bulls
- Major League Soccer Western Conference Championship (1): 2008
References
- ↑ Wolff goes 1st in Stage 2 Re-Entry Draft, Ángel to LA
- ↑ Sporting Kansas City Acquires Rights to Defender/Midfielder Luke Sassano
- ↑ Luke Sassano Signs with Sporting
- ↑ Recap: KC breaks out for 4-1 win at Dallas
- ↑ Sassano signs new contract with Sporting KC
- ↑ Sporting KC waives Luke Sassano
- ↑ Former Red Bull Sassano joins Cosmos front office