Brooklyn Italians

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Brooklyn Italians
Brooklyn Italians Logo2
Full name Brooklyn Italians
Nickname(s) Italians
Founded 1949
Stadium John Dewey High School
Brooklyn, New York
(capacity: ~1,000)
Owner United States Jerry Valerio
Head Coach United States Lucio Russo
League National Premier Soccer League
2010 2nd, Atlantic
Playoffs: DNQ
Home colors
Away colors

Current season

Brooklyn Italians is an American soccer team based in Brooklyn, New York, United States. Founded in 1949, the team plays in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), a national amateur league at the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Northeast Atlantic Division.

The team plays its home games at the stadium on the campus of John Dewey High School. The team's colors are white and blue.

Contents

History[edit]

The Brooklyn Italians are generally regarded as one of the most successful semi-pro teams in the United States, with a linear history that now stretches back over 60 years. Founded in 1949 by John DeVivo, an Italian immigrant to the New York area, the team was originally part of the Metropolitan Soccer League in the early 1950s, before joining the American Soccer League prior to the 1956–57 season. The Italians finished seventh in their first season in the ASL behind champions New York Hakoah.[1]

The Italians changed their name to the Inter-Brooklyn Italians when they merged with a local rival club in 1961, became Inter SC in 1962, and before the 1963 season the team changed its name again and became the Boca Juniors, named after the famous club in Argentina, but played just one season with this name before resigning from the ASL in 1964.

For the next 20 years or so the team continued to play in amateur leagues under various names – at one time or another they known as Palermo Football Club and the Brooklyn Dodgers (after the former Brooklyn baseball team) – before reverting to their original name in 1991.[2] They were also regular participants in the US Open Cup, winning the title twice during the pre-MLS all-amateur era, in 1979 (when they were still called the Dodgers) and 1991, and reaching the final in 1981 and 1990.

As a result of their success in the 1991 tournament the Italians played in the qualifying rounds of the 1991 CONCACAF Cup Winners Cup and the 1991 CONCACAF Champions' Cup. They lost 6–1 on aggregate to Club Universidad de Guadalajara in the Cup Winners Cup, but fared much better in the CONCACAF Champions' Cup, beating Bermudian side Dandy Town Hornets 4–3 in the first round before losing 4–1 to eventual champions Puebla.

The Italians joined the National Premier Soccer League in 2010, with head coach Joe Barone calling it "a new adventure".[3]

In addition to the new NPSL side, the Italians continue to field a number of teams in the New York-based Cosmopolitan Soccer League. The Italians also regularly compete in various amateur tournaments world-wide, including the Memorial Claudio Sassi in Italy, the Dallas Cup, the President's Day Tournament in Phoenix, and college showcases across the country. International travel is encouraged, and teams have trained with many of the elite teams from Italy.

Players[edit]

2010 Roster[edit]

Source: [1]

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
United States DF Jean-Philippe Ahoua
United States MF Josh Alarcon[4]
United States FW Anthony Asante
United States FW Adnan Buljubasic
United States GK Rosario Candela
United States MF Vincenzo Conigliaro
Grenada MF Damionne Cyrus
United States MF Steve Favaloro
Israel GK Dudi Gil
United States FW Oleksandr Gotsabina
United States FW Marco Hamilton
United States MF Darwin Iriarte
United States MF Abel James
United States DF Jason James
No. Position Player
Finland FW Jukka Lehto[5]
United States MF Douglas Macias
United States MF Mark McCormick
United States DF Carlos Moncaleano
United States MF Semso Nikocevic[6]
United States FW Paul Nittoli
United States MF Mauro Ortiz[7]
Guyana MF Shomari Ramsay
United States DF Kirk-Dean Scarlett
United States FW Tarik Smith
United States GK Daniel Solli
United States DF Emerson Sykes
United States MF Emiliano Tramantozzi[8]
United States DF Peter Vavalle

Notable former players[edit]

Year-by-year[edit]

Year Division League Regular Season Playoffs National Cup
1956–57 1 ASL 7th
1957–58 1 ASL 10th
1958–59 1 ASL 4th
1959–60 1 ASL 4th Did not qualify
1960–61 1 ASL 8th Did not qualify
1961–62 1 ASL 2nd
1962–63 1 ASL 2nd
1963–64 1 ASL 4th
1979 / / / / Champions
1981 / / / / Runner-up
1990 / / / / Runner-up
1991 / / / / Champions
2010 4 NPSL 2nd, Atlantic Did not qualify First Round
2011 4 NPSL 1st, Atlantic Divisional Final First Round
2012 4 NPSL 2nd, Atlantic Divisional Semi-Final Second Round
2013 4 NPSL Atlantic First Round

Honors[edit]

  • NPSL Atlantic Division Champions 2011
  • US Open Cup Champions 1991
  • National Challenge Cup Champions 1979

Head coaches[edit]

Stadia[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]