 | |||
| Full name | Cape Cod Crusaders | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | The Crusaders | ||
| Founded | 1994 | ||
| Dissolved | 2008 | ||
| Ground | Massachusetts Maritime Academy | ||
| Chairman |  Joe Bradley | ||
| Manager | Paul Baber | ||
| League | USL Premier Development League | ||
| 2008 | 1st, New England Division Playoff Conference Semifinals | ||
TheCape Cod Crusaders was an Americansoccer team based inBuzzards Bay, Massachusetts. Founded in 1994, the team played in theUSL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of theAmerican Soccer Pyramid, until 2008, when the franchise folded and the team left the league.[1]
The team played its home games at several different venues in eastern Massachusetts: mainly in stadium on the campus of theMassachusetts Maritime Academy, but also atWhitman-Hanson High School inWhitman, Massachusetts, and atBowditch Stadium inFramingham, Massachusetts. Also played atBarnstable High School in the town ofHyannis, Massachusetts. The Crusaders' historical home was the stadium on the groundsDennis Yarmouth High School in the town ofYarmouth, 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, theBoston Renegades, who play in the women'sUSL W-League. The club still fields a team in the USL'sSuper-20 League, a league for players 17 to 20 years of age run under theUnited Soccer Leagues umbrella.
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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 theMassachusetts 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.
For each season the Crusaders also fielded a Futures Team that won 3 Championships in a four year span led by Striker Keith Simpson, a four time scoring champion.
In 2007, Crusaders strikerRicardo Pierre-Louis was part of theHaiti squad which took part in the2007 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.
vs.Brooklyn Knights, 25 July 2008[2]Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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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 |
Methembe Ndlovu (2003)Paul Baber (2005–2008)
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