After an encouraging start to the season with two home victories, the Knights packed for the road and fans held their breath. Then in 1 week, they made 2 distinct trips to play 3 games and gained 4 more points, making it 5 games and adding to the earlier 6 points for the season. That sequential numbers appraisal now has their fans releasing gushes of pride for their white and blue-clad ballweavers.

The Knights touched every result angle – a loss, a win and a tie – in their three road games. But, only the latter two were deciders for the Open Cup. They were already unbeaten halfway into the qualification picture, so staying the course was like … Whoa!!! We right here!

During a long distance call, team head coach Joe Balsamo confirmed his elation; though it was evident he wanted full points from all encounters. “If I’m happy with the results? A little. If I’m happy with the way the team played? Absolutely,” Balsamo reacted to his self-imposed inquiries. “This is an exceptional bunch of guys. They showed how to rise to the challenge of playing vital games back-to-back on the road,” he noted of the two Memorial Day weekend games. Apart from that double date, the Knights had an away game to the Long Island Rough Riders four days before.  That tense tussle ended in a 1-nil win for the homesters, but didn’t count for the Open Cup, since the in-state rivals had a previous encounter at the Aviator Field, which the Knights won by a 3-1 margin. 

But, that narrow loss had sent smoke signals to Balsamo in his first away match-up. He worked his tactical magic, reignited the team’s fire, and commented that “the guys would only get stronger from such an experience, being the start of a road stretch.” That they did so, was reflected in the approach to their demanding ‘two games in two days’ schedule on the road to the Vermont Voltage and New Hampshire Phantoms on May 24 and 25.

Like the Knights they are, they got mounted, rode 300-plus miles to northwest Vermont, and short-circuit the Voltage by 2-0 in their nighttime clash. The Knights’ double came off the boots of Juan Guera and Hemir Niebles for their second shutout of the season.

“Our guys really bounced back, smartly giving their hearts and passion to win this one,” Balsamo noted. “It (win) kept us in the Open Cup, with just the game the next day to decide our fate, but this amazing team has high hopes.”

Those expectations traveled with the Knights about 160 miles southeast, stopping in Manchester for the other Open Cup clash less than 16 hours after their Vermont fixture.  Amazingly the Brooklyn ballweavers held the Phantoms to a 1-1 draw to latch them selves onto the Cup call-up. The ghostbusters got their goal first from Matia Damian, before the apparitions equalized through a penalty.
 

Balsamo quickly reminded that a “little luck would always help” to mix with the talent, grit and purposefulness of his players. “This is the first time for our club in the Open Cup, and most of our players have this for the first time, too, so we’re quite excited as we see our expectations happening. We’ll continue to play good soccer to go all the way.  The guys want more successes, and I admire that. I thank them for their great work, just great.”
 

The Open Cup, one of the oldest in the world,  gets cracking on June 10, and while the Knights await the fixtures, their regular PDL season moves into another gear as they host the Ottawa Fury on Saturday, May 31 from 8:30 pm. The Canadians who’ll be opening their season, are going to run into a pumped Knights team who twice shut them out last year, and which will be in the pride of position from their management and fans.

The young Knights club will look to make its debut in the Open Cup add to the favorable history by Brooklyn teams in the championships. Incidentally, it was the Brooklyn Field Club that won in an all-Brooklyn match-up with Celtic FC in the first Open Cup, 94 years ago. Brooklyn Italians FC last brought the boro glory when it won in 1992, four years before MLS teams began ruling the roost.