Cape Cod Crusaders were an American soccer team based in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1994, the team played in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, until 2008, when the franchise folded and the team left the league.[1]

Cape Cod Crusaders
Full nameCape Cod Crusaders
Nickname(s)The Crusaders
Founded1994
Dissolved2008
GroundMassachusetts Maritime Academy
ChairmanUnited States Joe Bradley
ManagerUnited States Paul Baber
LeagueUSL Premier Development League
20081st, New England Division
Playoff Conference Semifinals

The team played its home games at several different venues in eastern Massachusetts: mainly in stadium on the campus of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, but also at Whitman-Hanson High School in Whitman, Massachusetts, and at Bowditch Stadium in Framingham, Massachusetts. Also played at Barnstable High School in the town of Hyannis, Massachusetts. The Crusaders' historical home was the stadium on the grounds Dennis Yarmouth High School in the town of Yarmouth, Massachusetts, where they won back to back championships in 2002 and 2003. The team's colors were red and white.

The team had a sister organization, the Boston Renegades, who play in the women's USL W-League. The club still fields a team in the USL's Super-20 League, a league for players 17 to 20 years of age run under the United Soccer Leagues umbrella.

History

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The Crusaders were one of the most successful minor-league soccer teams in the United States, having been national PDL champions twice, in 2002 and 2003. The team was also one of the most long-lasting teams, having played in four different leagues, at two different levels, over the course of more than a decade. In the mid-2000s the Crusaders became part of the Massachusetts Premier Soccer (MPS) organization, which runs soccer schools and north senior and junior amateur leagues across Massachusetts, with the intent of developing and promoting the game.

In 2007, Crusaders striker Ricardo Pierre-Louis was part of the Haiti squad which took part in the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Pierre-Louis was the only PDL player to take part in the tournament, coming on as a substitute in the 1–1 draw with Costa Rica, and playing a full 90 minutes in the 2–0 defeat to Canada.

Players

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Final squad

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vs. Brooklyn Knights, 25 July 2008 [2] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
0 GK   USA Evan Bush
4 DF   SCO Graham Munro
6 DF   USA Matthew Narode
7 MF   ENG Jason Massie
8 MF   ENG Yan Klukowski
9 MF   IRL Liam Maloney
10 MF   ENG Tom Marston
11 MF   USA Christian Vercollone
12 DF   IRL Michael Coburn
14 DF   USA Daniel Schultz
15 FW   USA Matt Horth
16 FW   USA Franklin Daniel
17 FW   ENG Tony Awor
18 MF   HAI Edens Chery
21 MF   USA Jordan Lynn
23 FW   CIV Lee Kouadio

Year-by-year

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Year Division League Reg. Season Playoffs Open Cup
1994 3 USISL 3rd, Northeast Divisional Semifinals Did not enter
1995 3 USISL Pro League 4th, Coastal Divisional Semifinals Did not qualify
1996 3 USISL Select League 5th, North Atlantic Did not qualify Did not qualify
1997 3 USISL D-3 Pro League 7th, Northeast Did not qualify Did not qualify
1998 3 USISL D-3 Pro League 4th, Northeast Division Semifinals Did not qualify
1999 3 USL D3-Pro League 7th, Northern Did not qualify 1st Round
2000 3 USL D3-Pro League 6th, Northern Did not qualify 2nd Round
2001 4 USL PDL 6th, Northeast Did not qualify 2nd Round
2002 4 USL PDL 2nd, Northeast Champion Did not qualify
2003 4 USL PDL 2nd, Northeast Champion Did not qualify
2004 4 USL PDL 2nd, Northeast Conference Semifinals 3rd Round
2005 4 USL PDL 1st, Northeast Conference Semifinals Did not qualify
2006 4 USL PDL 1st, New England Conference Finals 1st Round
2007 4 USL PDL 1st, Northeast Conference Finals Did not qualify
2008 4 USL PDL 1st, New England Conference Semifinals Did not qualify

Honors

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  • USL PDL New England Division Champion 2008
  • USL PDL Northeast Division Champion 2007
  • USL PDL New England Division Champion 2006
  • USL PDL Northeast Division Champion 2005
  • USL PDL Champion 2003
  • USL PDL Eastern Conference Champion 2003
  • USL PDL Champion 2002
  • USL PDL Eastern Conference Champion 2002

Head coaches

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Stadiums

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Crusaders' last stadium at Massachusetts Maritime Academy

Average attendance

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  • 2008: 309
  • 2007: 284
  • 2006: 330
  • 2005: 306

References

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  1. ^ "End of the line for Cape Cod Crusaders - - Harwich Oracle". Archived from the original on 20 May 2011.
  2. ^ "United Soccer Leagues (USL)". Archived from the original on 20 October 2014. Retrieved 11 December 2008.
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