Cape Cod Crusaders were an American soccer team based in

Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts Buzzards Bay is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Bourne in Barnstable County, Massachusetts. The population was 3,859 at the 2010 census. It is the most populous of the five CDPs in Bourne. Geography Buzzards Bay is located at (4 ...

, United States. Founded in 1994, the team played in the

USL Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league sy ...

(PDL), the fourth tier of the

American Soccer Pyramid The United States soccer league system is a series of professional and amateur soccer leagues based, in whole or in part, in the United States. Sometimes called the American soccer pyramid, teams and leagues are not linked by the system of pro ...

, until 2008, when the franchise folded and the team left the league. The team played its home games at several different venues in eastern Massachusetts: mainly in stadium on the campus of the

Massachusetts Maritime Academy Massachusetts Maritime Academy (Mass Maritime) is a public university in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, focused on maritime-related fields. It was established in 1891 and is the second oldest state maritime academy in the United States. Originall ...

, but also at Whitman-Hanson High School in

Whitman, Massachusetts Whitman is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 15,121 at the 2020 census. It is notable as being the place where the chocolate chip cookie was invented. History Whitman was first settled by Europeans i ...

, and at Bowditch Stadium in

Framingham, Massachusetts Framingham () is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. Incorporated in 1700, it is located in Middlesex County and the MetroWest subregion of the Greater Boston metropolitan area. The city proper covers with a popul ...

. Also played at

Barnstable High School Barnstable High School is a public high school (grades 8–12) in the village of Hyannis, Massachusetts, United States, Town of Barnstable. The school is part of the Barnstable Public School District. Barnstable High School was founded in the ...

in the town of

Hyannis, Massachusetts Hyannis is the largest of the seven villages in the town of Barnstable, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is the commercial and transportation hub of Cape Cod and was designated an urban area at the 1990 census. Because of this, many refer ...

. The Crusaders' historical home was the stadium on the grounds Dennis Yarmouth High School in the town of

Yarmouth, Massachusetts Yarmouth ( ) is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States, Barnstable County being coextensive with Cape Cod. The population was 23,793 at the 2010 census. The town is made up of three major villages: South Yarmouth, West Yarmout ...

, 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 Boston Renegades was an American women’s soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular ...

, who play in the women's

USL W-League The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, p ...

. 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 United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...

umbrella.

History

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 Massachusetts ( Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous state in the New England region of t ...

(MPS) organisation, 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 Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

squad which took part in the

2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup The 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the ninth edition of the Gold Cup, the soccer championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean ( CONCACAF), and was won by the United States over Mexico. It was contested in the United States fro ...

. 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

Final squad

''vs.

Brooklyn Knights 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. The team also previously field a team in the USL Pr ...

, 25 July 2008''

Year-by-year

Honors

* 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

Methembe Ndlovu Methembe Ndlovu (born 16 August 1973) is a former Zimbabwean footballer and current head coach of men's soccer at Trinity College (Connecticut). Ndlovu spent his playing career with Albuquerque Geckos, Highlanders F.C., Boston Bulldogs and ...

(2003) *

Paul Baber Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) * Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

(2005–2008)

Stadiums

* Stadium at Dennis Yarmouth High School,

South Yarmouth, Massachusetts South Yarmouth is an unincorporated village and census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Yarmouth, Massachusetts, Yarmouth in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,092 at the ...

(1994–2003) * Stadium at

(2004–2007) * Stadium at

Nauset Regional High School Nauset Regional High School is an NEASC accredited high school located in Eastham, Massachusetts, United States and a part of Nauset Public Schools. Nauset is inside the Cape Cod National Seashore, making it the only high school on the East C ...

, North Eastham, Massachusetts 1 game (2005) * Stadium at

Weymouth High School Weymouth High School (WHS) is a comprehensive public high school in Weymouth, Massachusetts, United States that serves students in grades nine through twelve. Weymouth High School also offers a Career and Technical Education Program offering su ...

Weymouth, Massachusetts ("To Work Is to Conquer") , image_map = Norfolk County Massachusetts incorporated and unincorporated areas Weymouth highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250px , map_caption = Location in Norfolk County in Massa ...

1 game (2006) * Stadium at

Whitman-Hanson Regional High School Whitman-Hanson Regional High School is a public high school located in Hanson, Massachusetts, United States. The school serves students in grades 9-12 from the towns of Whitman, Massachusetts and Hanson, Massachusetts. It is part of the Whitman-Han ...

3 games (2007–2008) * Stadium at

(2008) * Stadium at

Bridgewater-Raynham Regional High School Bridgewater Raynham Regional High School, founded in 1961, is a regional high school in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, shared by the City of Bridgewater and the Town of Raynham. The high school, commonly referred to as B-R, relocated to a new building ...

Bridgewater, Massachusetts Bridgewater is a town located in Plymouth County, in the state of Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the town's population was 28,633. Bridgewater is located approximately south of Boston and approximately 35 miles east ...

1 game (2008) * Bowditch Stadium,

1 game (2008)

Average attendance

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

References

External links

Cape Cod Crusaders/Massachusetts Premier Soccer
{{USSoccer 1994 establishments in Massachusetts 2008 disestablishments in Massachusetts Association football clubs established in 1994 Association football clubs disestablished in 2008 Bourne, Massachusetts Defunct Premier Development League teams Soccer clubs in Massachusetts Sports in Barnstable County, Massachusetts USL Second Division teams