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Brooklyn FC (USL)

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Brooklyn FC
The letter B, stylized to resemble the arches of the Brooklyn Bridge
Full nameBrooklyn Football Club
Short nameBKFC
FoundedJune 8, 2023; 15 months ago (2023-06-08)
GroundMaimonides Park
Brooklyn, New York
Capacity7,000
Coordinates40°34′28″N 73°59′03″W / 40.57444°N 73.98417°W / 40.57444; -73.98417 (Maimonides Park)
OwnerNorth Sixth Group
ChairmanMatt Rizzetta
ManagerKristen Sample (interim)[1]
LeagueUSL Super League (women)
USL Championship (men)
WebsiteClub website
Current season

Brooklyn Football Club is a planned American professional soccer club based in Brooklyn, New York City, New York. First announced in 2023, the club fields a women's team in USL Super League in 2024, and will field a men's team in USL Championship beginning in 2025.

History

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On June 8, 2023, the United Soccer League announced that North Sixth Group had been granted a USL League One expansion team in Brooklyn, to start play in the 2025 season, with a women's and youth team to follow.[2][3][4]

North Sixth Group specializes in purchasing and developing lower-tier soccer clubs. In addition to Brooklyn FC, it owns sixth-tier Swiss club FC Locarno, Serie D side ASD Campobasso 1919, and a stake in Serie B club Ascoli Calcio.[5][6] Among the minority owners in North Sixth Group are television personality Kelly Ripa and actor Mark Consuelos.[7]

USMNT International Timothy Weah joined the ownership group on May 28, 2024.[8]

Colors and badge

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The club's name and logo, designed by British-based designer Christopher Payne, were unveiled on November 9, 2023. The limestone color is a reference to the Brooklyn Bridge which is represented in the logo, and the brown color reflects the brownstone buildings seen across the borough.[9][10]

The badge and identity will be used by all Brooklyn FC teams.[11] The club originally announced a kit deal with Kappa, but after the ownership group acquired a stake in manufacturer Diaza, the contract was transferred.[12]

Sponsorship

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Period Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor Back sponsor Sleeve sponsor
2024–present Diaza[13] Liquid Death[14] The Perecman Firm[15] N/A

Men's team

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The men's team was announced to begin in the third division USL League One in 2025, with an option to move up to the second-division USL Championship by 2028, if certain benchmarks were met.[3][4] On March 7, 2024, New York City-based soccer outlet Hudson River Blue reported that the team would, in a change of plans, begin directly in the USL Championship for the 2025 season,[16] which was confirmed by USL a week later.[17]

Women's team

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At its founding, the club announced that in addition to its men's team, it intended to field a women's team in the USL Super League.[3] The Super League is a Division One league, representing the top level of women's soccer in the United States, and began play in August 2024. It was reported in late 2023 that a women's team would be established in 2025, which would be for the Super League's second season.[18] However on February 9, 2024, the USL announced that Brooklyn FC's women's team would be one of the Super League's inaugural eight teams.[19]

Inaugural season

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See also: 2024–25 Brooklyn FC Inaugural Season

The league released its season schedule on May 30, 2024, establishing the club's inaugural match would be on Saturday, August 31, a home game against Carolina Ascent FC.[20]

Brooklyn FC announced on May 17, 2024 that they had signed the first-ever player in club history, Puerto Rican national team goalkeeper Sydney Martinez.[21]

Due to unspecified issues with the playing surface being laid down at Maimonides Park, the club postponed its inaugural match, announcing that the club's first home match would instead be September 25, 2024 against Dallas Trinity FC.[22]

Roster

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As of September 7, 2024* Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Puerto Rico PUR Sydney Martinez
2 DF United States USA Samantha Rosette
3 MF United States USA Sam Kroeger
4 MF United States USA Allison Pantuso
5 DF United States USA Sasha Pickard
6 MF United States USA Allie Long
7 MF Morocco MAR Salma Amani
8 FW United States USA Dana Scheriff
9 MF United States USA Jessica Garziano
10 MF England ENG Kess Elmore
11 DF United States USA Taylor Smith
12 MF United States USA Hope Breslin
13 FW United States USA Isabel Cox
14 DF United States USA Sydney Moore
15 MF Jamaica JAM Marlo Sweatman
No. Pos. Nation Player
16 DF United States USA Yabeserra Fiesa-Rich
17 DF United States USA Leah Scarpelli (captain)
18 GK United States USA Neeku Purcell
19 FW United States USA Mackenzie Pluck
20 DF United States USA Nikia Smith
21 MF United States USA Emily Yaple
22 DF United States USA Tori Hansen
23 FW Brazil BRA Luana Grabias
24 DF United States USA Kelsey Hill
25 DF United States USA Haley Miller
26 DF United States USA Kiara Gilmore
27 DF United States USA Carlyn Presley
29 FW United States USA Mackenzie George
— DF United States USA Caroline Nuttall

Academy

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On December 7, 2023, Brooklyn FC announced that Two Bridges Football Club, a New York City-based youth soccer organization, would become the club's official youth academy and would start playing in the USL Academy League in 2024. Maximilian Mansfield, the executive director of Two Bridges, was named President and CEO of Brooklyn FC.[4]

The Academy started play in the semi-professional National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) in 2024 as Brooklyn FC II.[23]

On June 12, 2024, the club announced that its U20 academy side would play an exhibition match against Ecuadorian Serie A club C.D. Cuenca on July 13.[24]

Stadium

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On January 19, 2024, it was reported that Brooklyn FC plan to play their matches at Maimonides Park in the Coney Island neighborhood of Brooklyn.[25] That was confirmed by the league on January 31, announcing that the team had signed a multi-year deal.[26]

Maimonides Park is a 7,000 seat stadium on the Coney Island Boardwalk. It had briefly been the home of the second New York Cosmos in 2017, prior to that club going on hiatus. Brooklyn FC intends to use a different field orientation than the Cosmos previously used, leaving the pitcher's mound intact and "maximiz(ing) a lot of the space around the field".[27]

Club chairman Matt Rizzetta has indicated that the club has had preliminary conversations with city officials and private developers on a location for a permanent stadium, which had been one of the required benchmarks before the club can move up to the second division.[27][3]

References

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  1. ^ @_BrooklynFCw (September 7, 2024). "Brooklyn W is proud to announce Kristen Sample as our Interim Head Coach! Please help us give her a warm welcome. Sample will lead our women on Sunday! #bkfc" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. ^ "Brooklyn, N.Y. awarded USL League One franchise". Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d Proch, Daniele (June 8, 2023). "Professional Soccer Is Coming To Brooklyn With Big Goals Ahead Of 2026 FIFA World Cup". Forbes. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c "Maximilian Mansfield named Brooklyn FC President and CEO". uslleagueone.com. United Soccer League. December 7, 2023. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  5. ^ Anderson, Jason (November 9, 2023). "USL sets up shop in New York City, with Brooklyn Football Club set for 2025 debut". MSN. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  6. ^ Greenberg, Doug (November 2, 2023). "Investors Dive Into Soccer's Lower Tiers, Eye Untapped Market Potential". Front Office Sports. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  7. ^ Speakman, Kimberlee (November 10, 2022). "Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos Are Now Co-Owners of Italian Soccer Team Campobasso 1919". People Magazine. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  8. ^ "Timothy Weah joins Brooklyn Football Club as part of Ownership Group". uslchampionship.com. May 28, 2024. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  9. ^ "Brooklyn Football Club reveals club identity ahead of 2025 kickoff". uslleagueone.com. United Soccer League. November 9, 2023. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  10. ^ Payne, Christopher. "Brooklyn Football Club". footballbranddesigner.com. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  11. ^ "Brooklyn FC reveal "shared identity" for USL Super League brand". uslsuperleague.com. United Soccer League. April 12, 2024. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  12. ^ Leigh, Andrew (28 August 2024). "The first-ever Brooklyn FC kits are here". Hudson River Blue. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  13. ^ "Brooklyn Football Club and Diaza Football Secure Historic Multi-Year Partnership". Brooklyn FC. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  14. ^ "Liquid Death Becomes Official Partner of Brooklyn Football Club's Women's Franchise". Brooklyn FC. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  15. ^ "Brooklyn Football Club Announces The Perecman Firm as Official Sponsor". brooklynfootballclub.com. Brooklyn FC. 6 September 2024. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  16. ^ Leigh, Andrew (March 7, 2024). "Exclusive: Brooklyn Football Club will join USL Championship". Hudson River Blue. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  17. ^ "Brooklyn FC Moves to USL Championship Ahead of Men's 2025 Inaugural Season". USL Championship. March 14, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  18. ^ Proch, Daniele. "Professional Soccer Is Coming To Brooklyn With Big Goals Ahead Of 2026 FIFA World Cup". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-09-19.
  19. ^ "USL Super League Receives Division One Sanctioning from U.S. Soccer and Confirms Field of Teams for Inaugural Season". uslsuperleague.com. United Soccer League. February 9, 2024. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
  20. ^ "USL Super League Unveils Fall Schedule of Inaugural Season and League Competition Structure". uslsuperleague.com. United Soccer League. 30 May 2024. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  21. ^ "Brooklyn Football Club Announces Sydney Martinez, Puerto Rican National Team Star Goalkeeper, as First to Sign with Club". uslsuperleague.com. United Soccer League. 17 May 2024. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  22. ^ "August 31st Match Postponed". brooklynfootballclub.com. Brooklyn FC. 28 August 2024. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  23. ^ "Brooklyn FC II". upsl.com. National Premier Soccer League. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
  24. ^ @_BrooklynFC (June 12, 2024). "Mark you calendars: BKFC U20 is playing an exhibition match against Ecuadorian Serie A club C.D. Cuenca on July 13th, 6:00pm at Maimonides Park. Tickets pre-sale drops tomorrow at 10 AM EST. Fans can subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive access" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  25. ^ Nalton, James (January 19, 2024). "New York Pro Soccer Club Brooklyn FC To Play At Maimonides Park, Coney Island". Forbes. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  26. ^ "Brooklyn FC to play at Maimonides Park in historic Coney Island". uslleagueone.com. United Soccer League. January 31, 2024. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  27. ^ a b Leigh, Andrew (January 31, 2024). "Brooklyn Football Club to call Coney Island home". Hudson River Blue. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
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