K-W United FC
 | |||
| Full name | Kitchener-Waterloo United Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Rage, Black and Blue Army | ||
| Founded | 2010 (as Hamilton FC Rage) | ||
| Ground |
University Stadium Waterloo, Ontario | ||
| Capacity | 6,000 | ||
| President | Barry MacLean | ||
| Head coach | Martin Painter | ||
| League | Premier Development League | ||
| 2017 |
2nd, Great Lakes Division Playoffs: Conference Semifinals | ||
| Website | Club website | ||
|
| |||
K-W United FC is a Canadian soccer team based in the Kitchener-Waterloo region in Ontario, Canada. Founded in 2010 as Hamilton Rage FC, the team plays in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American & Canadian soccer pyramid, in the Great Lakes Division of the Central Conference.
The team previously played its home games at Brian Timmis Stadium and Ron Joyce Stadium in Hamilton, Ontario, but has played its games since 2013 at University Stadium in Waterloo, Ontario, after the club was moved by new owners to Kitchener-Waterloo and renamed following the 2012 season.[1]
The men's team also has a sister women's team, K-W United FC, who play in the USL W-League, but has no affiliation with SC Waterloo Region.
History
Hamilton FC Rage was announced as a USL Premier Development League expansion franchise on February 17, 2011.[2] They played their first competitive game on May 25, 2011, a 2–0 loss to the Toronto Lynx,[3] but won their second game 5–0 over the Ottawa Fury. The first goal in franchise history was scored by Dominic Bell.[4]
Relocation and re-branding
Following the 2012 PDL season, the club was sold, renamed K-W United FC and relocated to Kitchener-Waterloo due to low attendance numbers in Hamilton since the club's inception in 2011. The club has no affiliation with SC Waterloo Region, who also plays in the area.[1]
In 2015, after finishing 2nd in the competitive Great Lakes Division, they became PDL Champions in the playoffs, defeating New York Red Bulls U-23 on August 2 in the final played at Starfire Stadium in Tukwila, Washington, 4–3, with goals from Ben Polk, Joel Perez, Jarek Whiteman-Asiamah, and Juuso Pasanen.[5][6]
Players
Current squad
Where a player has not declared an international allegiance, nation is determined by place of birth.
| No. | Position | Player | Nation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Goalkeeper | Mark Haynes |  Canada
|
| 3 | Defender | Adam Polakiewicz | Canada
|
| 4 | Midfielder | Liam Callahan |  United States
|
| 6 | Forward | Johannes Pieles |  Germany
|
| 7 | Midfielder | Janos Loebe | Germany
|
| 9 | Midfielder | Jon Fraser |  England
|
| 10 | Defender | Ken Krolicki | United States
|
| 11 | Midfielder | Wesley Cain | Canada
|
| 12 | Forward | Mohammed Aborig |  Libya
|
| 15 | Defender | Justin Springer |  Saint Kitts and Nevis
|
| 16 | Midfielder | Donald Tomlinson | United States
|
| 17 | Midfielder | Darren Rios |  Puerto Rico
|
| 18 | Defender | Kamal Miller | Canada
|
| 20 | Midfielder | Munir Saleh | Canada
|
| 21 | Defender | Tahrik Rodriques | Canada
|
| 22 | Forward | Sameer Fathazada | Canada
|
| 23 | Defender | Charles Novoth | England
|
| 24 | Goalkeeper | Dayne St.Clair | Canada
|
| — | Midfielder | Jannik Loebe | Germany
|
| — | Midfielder | Michael Halapir | Canada
|
| — | Forward | Tomasz Skublak | Canada
|
| — | Defender | Jan Breitenmoser |  Switzerland |
Notable former players
This list of notable former players comprises players who went on to play professional soccer after playing for the team in the Premier Development League, or those who previously played professionally before joining the team.
Year-by-year
| Year | Division | League | Regular Season | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 4 | PDL | 6th, Great Lakes | Did not qualify |
| 2012 | 4 | PDL | 7th, Great Lakes | Did not qualify |
| 2013 | 4 | PDL | 4th, Great Lakes | Did not qualify |
| 2014 | 4 | PDL | 2nd, Great Lakes | Conference Semifinals |
| 2015 | 4 | PDL | 2nd, Great Lakes | PDL Champions |
| 2016 | 4 | PDL | 2nd, Great Lakes | Conference Semifinals |
| 2017 | 4 | PDL | 2nd, Great Lakes | Conference Semifinals |
Honors
- 2015 PDL Champions
- 2015 Central Conference Champions
Head coaches
- Brett Mosen [7] (2011–2013)
- Stuart Neely [8] (2014)
- Chris Pozniak (2015)
- Martin Painter (2016–present)
Stadiums
- Brian Timmis Stadium; Hamilton, Ontario (2011)
- Ivor Wynne Stadium; Hamilton, Ontario (2011) – 1 game
- Ron Joyce Stadium; Hamilton, Ontario (2012)
- University Stadium; Waterloo, Ontario (2013–)
Average attendance
Attendance stats are calculated by averaging each team's self-reported home attendances from the historical match archive at https://web.archive.org/web/20060319215614/http://www.uslsoccer.com/history/index_E.html.%5B%5D
- 2011: 168 (as Hamilton)
- 2012: 135
- 2013: 705 (first season as Kitchener)
- 2014: 306
- 2015: 250
- 2016: 350
See also
- K-W United FC, sister women's team playing in the USL W-League
- SC Waterloo Region
- Hamilton Steelers (disambiguation)
- North American Soccer League
- Major League Soccer
References
- 1 2 "Region scores two new professional soccer teams". www.TheRecord.com. 2013-02-07. Retrieved 2013-02-09.
- ↑ "Hamilton FC Rage Joins PDL". Uslsoccer.com. 2011-02-17. Retrieved 2012-06-20.
- ↑ "United Soccer Leagues (USL)". Pdl.uslsoccer.com. 2011-05-25. Retrieved 2012-05-26.
- ↑ "United Soccer Leagues (USL)". Pdl.uslsoccer.com. 2011-05-29. Retrieved 2012-05-26.
- ↑ Dave Rowaan (August 3, 2015). "KW United win club's first ever PDL Championship". WakingTheRed.com. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
- ↑ Paul Kennedy (August 3, 2015). "Ontario's K-W United FC takes PDL crown". SoccerAmerica.com. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
- ↑ "USL welcomes Hamilton FC to Men’s U23 PDL". Retrieved February 20, 2011.
- ↑ "Neely Appointed K-W United Head Coach". United Soccer Leagues (USL). March 3, 2014. Retrieved March 4, 2014.