What are you looking forward to about playing in Brooklyn?

Obregón: As a Brooklyn native born and raised here, it’s a full circle moment for me. Being able to represent the borough is definitely exciting. I’m looking forward to playing in front of friends and family. There’s immense pride here in Brooklyn.

Latinovich:  New York is a big sports city and I think people will be excited with the new team here in Brooklyn. We hope to have a lot of fans attending a lot of games, and we want to make our home games a strength. 

What’s the Brooklyn FC team culture like so far?

Latinovich: We have chemistry and we’re getting stronger as a unit, building our identity as a gritty and hardworking team that backs each other up. We’ve shown that identity throughout pre- season, and it’s going to get stronger as season goes on.

Obregón: It’s interesting how quickly we’ve been able to gel as a tight-knit group. It’s been a unique experience with everyone being new. 

McNamara: I’ve really enjoyed the opportunity to connect and meet new players and learn about their families.

What can fans expect from Brooklyn FC this season?

McNamara: Togetherness and also a real pride and intentionality of representing Brooklyn and the fans playing in an exciting and aggressive way that is similar to the culture of the borough. The group is going to be fighting for Brooklyn, and hopefully over the course of the season, continuing to strengthen and deepen our relationships between the fan base and the players.

How would you describe your role on Brooklyn FC?

McNamara: I think I’m the most experienced guy and the oldest guy on the team. So it’s about bringing that experience to the group, about trying to be a reference point to everyone of what being a good professional is, what being a good teammate is. And, you know, trying to help connect the group and keep everyone together. 

Latinovich:  As a veteran, I want to be a positive influence on everyone in the locker room. There will be some ups and downs throughout the season. We’re not going to win every game. The important thing is for us to keep level heads whether we’re winning or losing, and have a positive mindset.

How has your pre-season training prepared you for the opener?

McNamara: Marlon (LeBlanc) as head coach had a clear message about our team and about who we want to be as a group. It’s hard to bring 25 new guys and 4-5 coaches together, and have everyone prepared in just six and a half weeks. It’s a credit to the staff and players. As a new club you’re dealing with a lot of change, but everyone came together to make it happen. 

What personal goals are you setting for this season?

Obregón:  I want to help the team gel completely as we try to win that first match in Brooklyn FC history. I want to try to score as many goals as possible and create as many goal-scoring chances as I can for my teammates. Ultimately, we want to make the playoffs and have a run at the championship.

Do you have any pre-game routines?

McNamara: I like to keep a set routine with meals, and meal times and getting prepped. I also like to watch one or two of the opponents’ recent games.  

Obregón: One big thing for me is a morning walk. 

Latinovich: My go-to pre-game meal is pasta with marina sauce marina and chicken. 

How would you describe the USL Championship to people unfamiliar with it?

Latinovich: It’s a pretty physical and demanding league. A lot of teams play an aggressive style, we have a lot of technical and strong individuals — together we’ll be able to add a lot and score a lot of goals, that’s the hope!

Obregón: It’s a very competitive league with strong fan bases. Any game could go either way. That’s the beauty and the fun of it. 

What will be some of the keys to Brooklyn’s success this season? 

McNamara: Building depth and being on the same page. We need to rely on everyone on the roster, guy 1 through 24, so that even if injuries happen we can stay strong as a group.  

What are you looking forward to the most heading into the season?

Latinovich:  We’re all ready to go for the home game on March 8, we’re geared up for it, and we want to give fans a result that they can go home happy with.

Obregón: The first match is going to be special. We’re excited for it and I’m counting down the days.