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We’ve mentioned before that the current band of Lakers happens to have a more-than-usual amount of serious soccer fans for an NBA locker room, from Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol to Sasha Vujacic, Jordan Farmar, Adam Morrison and others.

So when the World Cup Draw was announced last week, there were more than a few excited Lakers in the locker room. Team USA had what many would consider a favorable draw, with England, Algeria and yes, Sasha’s Slovenia making up its group.

So on June 18 in Johannesburg, South Africa, the Americans will face the Slovenians, with trash talking rights on the line. We spent a few minutes talking to Vujacic about the matchup:

MT: I worry that the U.S. might underestimate Slovenia or Algeria, nations without big soccer names yet full of solid international talent. Slovenia’s ranked 33rd in FIFA, Algeria 28th and the US 14th. Can Slovenia take advantage?
Vujacic: When Spain played America (in the Confederation’s Cup), they said, ‘Those little Americans with no soccer tradition,’ they kind of underestimated their opponent and they lost. I think you have to be smart before you draw any conclusions. It’s an interesting draw, but it’s going to be hard for any team. England is definitely the favorite, and the other three teams will do their best.

MT: What’s the story on your countrymen? How good are they?
Vujacic: They’re better than they’re ranked. They play against really good teams in Europe, and all the guys play on very respected European soccer teams. They have good soccer IQ and I think they have a great chance to advance.

MT: There are only about two million people in Slovenia, as after the former Yugoslavia split up, much of the talent dispersed as well. Does that make it more special for Slovenia to qualify on its own, just as Serbia did?
Vujacic: It does, of course. Yugoslavia used to have a great soccer team, but then the country split and every (new) country fought for itself. When Slovenia qualified, they were celebrating not for days but for weeks. It’s a source of great pride. Slovenia was not known for soccer, but I’m going to be cheering for Serbia as well. It is both fortunate and unfortunate that the talent had to split, with everyone now representing their own country.

MT: In basketball, the better team almost always seems to win, but in soccer, nothing is ever guaranteed. You can run into a hot goalie, hit the post a few times or get a tough break on a penalty kick at your own end. Just look at Greece winning Euro 2004…
Vujacic: Right, when they beat Portugal, Greece scored only one goal and then played defense. If you were to tell me that Greece would have won the European Championships, I never would have believed it in 100 years. But that’s how it goes sometimes.

MT: That said, do you think Americans realize that being a favorite in the rankings doesn’t necessarily translate into wins?
Vujacic: I respect the US team, and I think especially since David (Beckham) came to the States, the level went up. But still, we know that in Europe they play the best soccer. So it’s hard to predict, and there are still six months before the games … Hopefully Slovenia understands how important it is and that anybody can win it.

Following a breakout 2007-08 season that earned him a contract extension with the Lakers, Sasha Vujacic was disappointed with his injury-plagued 2008-09 that saw his contributions wane as the season wore on.

In the regular season, Vujacic averaged 5.8 points, 1.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 0.96 steals in 16.2 minutes per game while shooting 38.7 percent from the field and 36.3 percent from three. In the playoffs, his minutes dropped to 10.9 minutes per game, and his production to 3.0 points, 1.4 rebounds and 0.5 assists on 31.4 percent from three and 26.4 from the field.

In his exit interview, Vujacic talked about how he plans on improving things for next season among other things:

- First of all, he was wearing a green shirt. Apparently the Celtics demons have been exercised. He’ll also be cutting some hair, but not too much.

- On meeting with Phil Jackson: “It was an interesting meeting. I understand (his perspective).
From a personal point of view the season didn’t go how I wanted. I had a different role. Sometimes you have to give something up to be part of the team’s success. That’s what I learned this season … Being today in front of you as a world champion is very important to me and my teammates. It’s going to be an interesting summer.”

- An honest, open Sasha on his tough year: “It’s not a secret that I shot the ball terribly this year. I was disappointed with myself, there’s no one to blame for that, no excuses to be found. I was struggling all year long to find a game rhythm and to catch what I found last year, to play with the same (freedom) that I did last year. That was missing, but I and (Phil) know what I am capable of.”

- BUT: “It doesn’t really matter, we’re world champions at the end of the day.”

- This summer could be very important for Vujacic retaining his rhythm as he’s planning on playing big minutes with the Slovenian National Team: “That’s going to be crucial for me. Both Mitch and Phil agreed that that’s a good idea. A summer to get away, refocus and (find) rebirth. I need to completely clear my mind. We have games in Slovenia, and to be honest with you, slowly L.A. became home to me, so that has nothing to do with it. I’m confident playing for the National Team is going to bring that back.”

- Vujacic said Kobe Bryant joked about him being in the gym too long, and said there might be a little truth to it, but that he can’t change his work habits and desires: “He’s the biggest hard worker I’ve ever seen, that’s why I respect him so much,” said Vujacic of Kobe. “Hard work will always no matter what in life pay off.”

- Vujacic said he’ll report to the Slovenian National team on the 22nd of July. Beno Udrih and other well known guys will also play, he said, and they have the goal of winning the whole thing.

- Missing three weeks of training camp with an injury, according to Mitch Kupchak (through Vujacic) didn’t help Sasha’s season at all.

- Vujacic talked a lot about the pressure he puts on himself to do well, and acknowledged that it may have played a role in his pressing with limited minutes. But he can’t change his style or how he plays.