Former New York Red Bull player Luke Sassano has moved into the New York Cosmos front office as the new clubs assistant technical director.
The 27-year old has pulled the pin on his playing career to concentrate on team management and is delighted to have been given an opportunity by Cosmos chief Erik Stover.
"I was on loan from Sporting KC to Carolina (Railhawks of NASL). Last year I had two knee surgeries, in addition to the two I already had, and an ankle surgery, I came to the realization (I had to move on)," Sassano told the NY Post.
"You start to see the aligning of the stars. I had other interests I wanted to get involved with, and this seemed like the perfect venture, especially early in the onset."
He added: "I reached out to the Cosmos is January, to Erik. Once I saw how ambitious the club is, the storied club, they're making a real run at this thing, (I knew it wanted it). Luckily (head coach) Gio (Savarese) saw something in me, how enthusiastic I was.
"I'll be working with Gio, evaluating talent. Ultimately Gio has the final say on things; I'm just here to be another piece to the puzzle for the New York Cosmos.
"I really wanted to stay in soccer. I was very fortunate to be able play five years in MLS, and I definitely wanted to stay involved. If I can get involved behind-the-scenes, whether it's scouting players or helping write contracts, it's an ideal position. Learning from guys like Gio, Carlos Llamosa, as well as Erik, I couldn't have been in a better situation, to be honest with you."
