Brooklyn Knights were an American soccer club based in New York City. Founded in 1999, the Knights currently field youth teams in the United Soccer Leagues Super-20 League and Super Y-League.[1] The team also previously field a team in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Mid Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The Knights decided to cease fielding a team in the PDL in January 2013.[2]
 | |||
| Full name | Brooklyn Knights | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Knights | ||
| Founded | 1999 | ||
| Dissolved | 2013 | ||
| Ground | Metropolitan Oval Maspeth, New York | ||
| Owner | Jim Vogt | ||
| Head Coach | Andreas Lindberg | ||
| League | USL Premier Development League | ||
| 2011 | 9th, Mid Atlantic Playoffs: DNQ | ||
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| |||
The club plays its home games at the Metropolitan Oval in Maspeth, Queens, where they have played since 2004. Brooklyn's team colors are white and blue.
History
editThe main philosophy of the Brooklyn Knights revolves around that of player development and the belief that it should be fully accomplished by the time an athlete reaches the age of 23. Despite the Knights' strict adherence to the use of players under-23 (the PDL allows up to eight on a roster), the team has qualified for the PDL national playoffs several times during their existence while fielding players as young as 17 to do so.
In 2000, the Knights became a sponsor of youth soccer teams that are overseen by the Metropolitan Oval Foundation, Inc. that include seven teams ranging from Under-11 to Under-18.
The Knights began playing home games at the Metropolitan Oval in 2004 and, after a short hiatus, returned to the stadium in 2010. The complex was constructed in 1925 and continues to be the oldest soccer-only facility in the United States, hosting 15–20 games each week from March to November.[3]
Notable former players
editThis list of notable former players comprises players who went on to play professional soccer after playing for the team in the Premier Development League, or those who previously played professionally before joining the team.
Year-by-year
edit(As of July 6, 2012)
| Year | Division | League | Regular Season | Playoffs | Open Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 4 | USL PDL | 3rd, Northeast | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 2000 | 4 | USL PDL | 4th, Northeast | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 2001 | 4 | USL PDL | 2nd, Northeast | Conference Semifinals | Did not qualify |
| 2002 | 4 | USL PDL | 5th, Northeast | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 2003 | 4 | USL PDL | 3rd, Northeast | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 2004 | 4 | USL PDL | 6th, Northeast | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 2005 | 4 | USL PDL | 8th, Northeast | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 2006 | 4 | USL PDL | 5th, Northeast | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 2007 | 4 | USL PDL | 2nd, Northeast | National Semifinals | Did not qualify |
| 2008 | 4 | USL PDL | 1st, Northeast | Conference Finals | 1st Round |
| 2009 | 4 | USL PDL | 4th, Northeast | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 2010 | 4 | USL PDL | 8th, Northeast | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 2011 | 4 | USL PDL | 9th, Mid Atlantic | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 2012 | 4 | USL PDL | 6th, Mid Atlantic | N/A | N/A |
Honors
edit- USL PDL Northeast Division Champions 2008
- USL PDL Eastern Conference Champions 2007
Head coaches
edit
Joe Balsamo (2007–2010)
Andreas Lindberg (2011–2012)
Stadia
edit- Metropolitan Oval; Maspeth, New York (2004–2006, 2010–present)
- Aviator Field; Brooklyn, New York (2007–2009)
- Stadium at Adelphi University; Garden City, New York 1 game (2010)
Average attendance
editAttendance stats are calculated by averaging each team's self-reported home attendances from the historical match archive at https://web.archive.org/web/20100105175057/http://www.uslsoccer.com/history/index_E.html.
- 2005: 120
- 2006: 105
- 2007: 251
- 2008: 212
- 2009: 405
- 2010: 109
- 2011: 40
- 2012: 42
References
edit- ^ "United Soccer Leagues (USL)". Archived from the original on 2013-09-21. Retrieved 2013-09-20.
- ^ "CALLING IT a KNIGHT Brooklyn Knights, citing a focus on youth teams and other areas, won't play in PDL". Archived from the original on 2013-09-21. Retrieved 2013-09-20.
- ^ "Our Mission - Metropolitan Oval Foundation". Archived from the original on 2012-05-03. Retrieved 2012-01-17.
- ^ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin. "NFT player — National team & Club appearances: Mashriqi, Mohammad Yusef". national-football-teams.com. National Football Teams. Archived from the original on 10 December 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2018.