When the Brooklyn Knights’ Tomasz Groch first came to this country from Przeworsk, Poland, he was keen on observing the level of soccer talent within the United States. Five years later, he continues to be surprised on how much the game has developed and keeps on improving.

“I was interested on seeing how good the players were here and they keep on impressing me. The level of play gets better and better and this country has a lot of talented soccer players”, says the 27 year old defender.

Coming from a country obsessed with soccer, Groch fell in love with the sport at a young age. After starting off as a forward, he realized that his toughness and marking abilities made defense a more suitable position and he’s never looked back.

A resident of the United States for half a decade, Groch is more than familiar with the soccer scene, as well as the PDL. Three years ago, he played for the now defunct Jersey Falcons PDL squad. He has also been a fixture of the New York Cosmopolitan Soccer League.

Extremely close to his roots, Groch is very active in the New York Polish community, which is equally as active in New York area soccer, and they are fans of Groch. Late last year, the defender was selected one of the area’s best players on the poloniasoccer.com website.

For Groch, the upcoming 2007 PDL season with the Brooklyn Knights is a golden opportunity to play first-class soccer and grow as a player.

“I always give everything that I’ve got on the field and I’m always positive and looking to grow as a player. I’m very excited to be with the Knights this year and I can’t wait for the season to start”.

Jerzy Dudek of Liverpool, Celtic F.C.’s Artur Boruc and Tomasz Kuszczak of Manchester United. With these three players thriving in some of the world’s top soccer clubs, it safe to say that goalies are one of Poland’s main exports these days.

Another club that has a Polish goalkeeper among its ranks is the Brooklyn Knights, who’ve signed David Ditrich for the 2007 PDL season. The 22 year old can explain the enormous talent pool of goalies emerging from his nation.

“Poland has very good goalkeeper schools. They start working with the players from a very young age and teach them every aspect of the position. My formation was excellent, so I know why these guys are so successful”.

Listed at a towering six foot seven inches tall, Ditrich knew early on that he would end up playing in front of the net.

“I’ve been tall since I was a little kid and I am also a very physical player who likes to jump and use my height to my advantage, so the position fits me perfectly”.

Besides playing for the club of his hometown in Gdank, Ditrich honed his talent in Germany, playing two seasons for the sub-18 squad of Energie Cottbus, a team that currently resides in the Bundesliga.

Ditrich arrived in the U.S. nine months ago, and he currently lives in the Polish hub of New York: Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

He’s also looking forward to begin the next stage of his career with the Brooklyn Knights.

“I’m very excited to be with this organization and I look forward to help the club achieve great things during my time here. I’ll do anything to help the team win and contribute any way I can”.

The Brooklyn Knights’ Roger Cambridge has come a long way from the young five year old that first started kicking the soccer ball around in his native Guyana almost two decades ago. What began as a fun hobby to pass the time is still reaping benefits for the now 23-year old defender.

With countless games and accomplishments behind him - including the ultimate honor for any athlete: defending his home nation of Guyana on the Junior National Team during qualifiers for the Sidney 2000 Olympic Games - Cambridge can’t wait to embark on the latest stage of his career in Brooklyn this summer.

’’I love to play and I love to win’’, says Cambridge, who is as confident and positive off the pitch as he is on the field of play. ’’It doesn’t matter where or against who you’re competing, I play hard and I give it 100% all the time’’.

Although capable of playing numerous positions, the multifaceted Cambridge caught the eye of Knights’ head coach Joe Balsamo for his aggressive, hardnosed defensive style of play.

"I’ll play for the coach wherever he puts me. But I’m happy in the back. Working to prevent goals is an awesome and fun challenge’’, claims Cambridge, who plans on giving opposing strikers nightmares this season.

The large Caribbean presence in the New York area also excites Cambridge, who to this day still thinks constantly about Guyana. ’’Obviously, the team wants everybody in Brooklyn to come out and support us, but it would be nice for me to see some people from back home’’.

Recently acquired Jamaican forward Terik Smith looks poised to become one of the Brooklyn Knights’ main offensive weapons during the 2007 PDL season.

Smith arrives in Brooklyn following productive stints at Village United, from the Jamaican National Premier League, and Brevard College, in North Carolina, among other teams.

Gifted with blazing speed and impressive ball handling skills, the Falmouth, Jamaica native fits in perfectly with Knights head coach Joe Balsamo’s vertical, offensive-minded strategy.

’’I’m a very aggressive player who’s always on his toes and ready to score at any moment’s notice’’, says the normally quiet and reserved striker who’s soccer talent speaks volumes.

Eager to show off his abilities in a large city, Smith is doubly excited that he has the chance to prove himself in Brooklyn, due to the prominent Caribbean population in the area.

’’I’m very active in the Jamaican and Caribbean communities and it’s an honor for me to be able to play in front of them’’.