Brooklyn Knights
Full nameBrooklyn Knights
Nickname(s)The Knights
Founded1999
Dissolved2013
GroundMetropolitan Oval
Maspeth, New York
OwnerJim Vogt
Head CoachAndreas Lindberg
LeagueUSL Premier Development League
20119th, Mid Atlantic
Playoffs: DNQ

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]

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

The 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

This 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

(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

  • USL PDL Northeast Division Champions 2008
  • USL PDL Eastern Conference Champions 2007

Head coaches

  • Italy Joe Balsamo (2007–2010)
  • Sweden Andreas Lindberg (2011–2012)

Stadia

Average attendance

Attendance 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

  1. ↑ "United Soccer Leagues (USL)". Archived from the original on 2013-09-21. Retrieved 2013-09-20.
  2. ↑ "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.
  3. ↑ "Our Mission - Metropolitan Oval Foundation". Archived from the original on 2012-05-03. Retrieved 2012-01-17.
  4. ↑ 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.
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