Today’s story on Red Bulls winger Luke Sassano didn’t include half the conversation we shared over the phone. I didn’t want to hold him for too long from his usual running drills, but we spoke a good 20 minutes, and naturally, not all of it made the paper.

Before we get to the leftovers, I’ll be getting in touch with the other recent graduates on their professional endeavors, so if there’s anything you might wish to be answered by guys like FC Lorient midfielder Andrew Jacobson, 1860 Munich back Steve Purdy or Javier Ayala-Hil, please let me know.

Now on with the rest from Sassano:

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A couple years ago, center back Steve Purdy made all the splash by signing with 1860 Munich a month or so following the end of his senior season with Cal. To put that in perspective, it’s like signing with the Clippers (Bayern Munich, stacked roster and all, are the Lakers of the Bundesliga), except the other team in Los Angeles play in the NBDL, except linking second division soccer in Europe to the NBDL is a faulty comparison. To be fair, half the teams play at a second-tier level in the United States’ fixed league systems, so it’s somewhat fitting to say he’s signed with a Mets-equivalent when they were irrelevant.

Midfielder Andrew Jacobson also grabbed headlines when he signed with French club FC Lorient earlier this year. He’s got all the tools to make it at the next level, and here’s hoping Jacobson will make an impact for U.S. soccer some time down the road (translation: for the National Team).

Now, it’s senior Luke Sassano’s turn. In a few minutes, the midfielder will likely start at midfielder for New York Red Bulls in their season opener, as injuries have given Sassano the chance to feed balls to forward Jozy Altidore. (Okay, that didn’t come out exactly the way I wanted it to.) If you subscribe to Fox Soccer Channel, tune in now for a 4:30 p.m. kickoff. Join me for some channel-flipping for the next 90 minutes between the New York opener and UCLA-Memphis. Read the rest of this entry »

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Here are some notes following today’s practice:

Offensive tackle Mike Tepper will return to the left side after starting 13 games at right tackle last season, coach Jeff Tedford confirmed. The redshirt senior is merely returning to the position he occupied as a sophomore two years ago, when he returned from a broken fibula.

Tedford also offered his thoughts on the relatively green receiving corps. Read the rest of this entry »

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Pac-10 Commissioner Thomas C. Hansen’s sitting right behind me, discussing how difficult it was to get tickets to Cal-Stanford at Haas Pavilion in February. I’m actually looking at the “Fire Pac-10 Commissioner Thomas C. Hansen” page … I hope my tiny 12-inch screen is entirely covered by my 185-pound frame, or things might get a bit awkward here in the media room at HP Pavilion, San Jose. Read the rest of this entry »

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During a preseason media luncheon, coach Joanne Boyle mentioned landing a No. 2 or 3 seed in the Big Dance as one of Cal’s main goals for the 2007-2008 season.

It looks like the team is set to meet at least a portion of its rumored “oath.”

After beginning the season ranked No. 13 in the country, the Bears have climbed all the way to No. 9 in going from a potential to a likely three-seed. But Cal, “Can you take me higher?” The Bears were ranked No. 8 (AP) as recently as last week, and after dropping a heated contest to No. 7 Stanford, what are the chances that Cal might sneak in as a two?

Very slim. Read the rest of this entry »

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2:59 p.m.: AGL went for the kill with a three-pointer, but the Bears fall short in a 60-58 heartbreaker. Good evening, everyone.

2:58 p.m.: 4.3 seconds left. Cal ball. 60-58, Stanford. It’s as big as it gets. Read the rest of this entry »

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