LASK Kicks Off the Season with Determination

„Hallo zusammen. Ich freue mich, hier zu sein,“ – in German, João Sacramento greeted the attending media representatives during his official presentation at the Raiffeisen Arena. For nearly 50 minutes, the energetic Portuguese coach spoke alongside sporting director Dino Buric about his move to LASK, his approach, philosophy, and goals. “I’m very happy; the club gave me a really good feeling,” said Sacramento. “I felt a great energy from the very beginning. The club is top-notch in terms of infrastructure and organization. There is a strong desire to be equally successful on the sporting side. We will work hard to achieve that.”

In the morning, following successful performance tests the day before, his team stepped onto the pitch for the first time in the new season. The squad for the initial training session in the Raiffeisen Arena included 20 outfield players and three goalkeepers. Among them were new signing Kasper Jørgensen, returning loanees Elias Havel and Lucas Copado, as well as youngsters Vincent Augustus, Cheikne Kebe, Kevin Lebersorger, and Nael Kane. Absent were Andres Andrade (Gold Cup), Tobias Lawal (national team duties), Lenny Pintor (rehab), and Maximilian Entrup, who is still sidelined with muscular issues. Robert Zulj trained individually and is expected to rejoin team training soon.

Sacramento is supported by the existing staff, including assistant coach Maximilian Ritscher, goalkeeping coach Philip Großalber, fitness coach Leopold Angerer, and video analyst Mario Milanic. In addition, Abel Pimenta joins as another assistant coach, Ricardo Pereira as an additional goalkeeping coach, and Rui Lemos as another fitness coach. The staff is completed by new rehabilitation coach Ralf Neumann. “Our goal is to make the fans proud, even if we lose a match. We want to create a clear identity. Our mentality must be that the next game is always the most important. We want to win every upcoming match and create great memories together,” emphasized Sacramento.

Beyond tactical work, the Portuguese coach places great importance on interpersonal relationships with his players. “What matters most is building strong relationships. I want to be approachable, communicate openly, and always be honest with them.” This quality also impressed the club during discussions: “You could tell he’s passionate about this challenge. In addition to his incredible international experience and professional expertise, he brings a strong social touch in how he interacts with people. That’s something we value immensely,” stressed sporting director Buric.

LASK will play their first friendly this coming Saturday at 3:00 p.m. in Peuerbach against a regional selection. João Sacramento will make his official debut the following weekend in the Austrian Cup against Wiener Sport-Club. “Our goal is to compete for international spots again this year,” said Buric about the club’s expectations.