FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Brad Knighton is confident that the New England Revolution is a team poised to win an MLS Cup title in the coming years, and he wants to be here when it happens.
Knighton, who returned to the Revolution ahead of the 2014 season after an initial stint from 2007 to 2009, signed a new deal on Monday which will keep him in New England for the foreseeable future.
For the 29-year-old goalkeeper, it’s all about being part of a winner.
“We’re a win-now team, and we’re a team also built for the future,” Knighton said. “This year we pretty much made our statement and showed everyone that we deserve to be here, and we’re going to be here for the long haul.”
Knighton primarily served as Bobby Shuttleworth’s backup during the Revolution’s run to MLS Cup, making only two appearances during the regular season to go along with three starts in the U.S. Open Cup. He went 1-1-0 in the league, playing in a pair of wild encounters with the Philadelphia Union.
But perhaps Knighton’s most important role was as daily motivator for Shuttleworth, who had a career year with a 16-12-4 record to go along with eight shutouts. The harder Knighton pushed in training, the better Shuttleworth needed to perform each day to maintain his starting spot.
“There’s competition every single day,” said Knighton, who also mentioned Luis Soffner and Larry Jackson as part of the Revs’ 2014 goalkeeping corps. “I think Bobby would be the first to tell you that he probably wouldn’t be where he is without me pushing him every single day.
“If you’ve got two veterans pushing each other day in and day out, it’s always going to make each one of us better. That’s what Bobby and I both want.”
Knighton, who admitted that limited minutes can be frustrating at times, could find himself in a backup role once again to start 2015 after Shuttleworth’s standout 2014 campaign. But who actually starts is of little concern to Knighton, so long as both ‘keepers are pushing each other and the team is winning games.
“I really don’t care if I’m playing or if Bobby’s playing; as long as we’re winning games, that’s all that matters,” said Knighton. “For us to get back to an MLS Cup final, that’s the main goal.”
After bouncing from Philadelphia to Carolina (NASL) to Vancouver from 2010 to 2013, Knighton is thrilled to have put down roots in New England, where his daughter just began school. His family’s happiness and stability come first, Knighton said – from there “soccer stuff will take care of itself.”
As for that “soccer stuff,” Knighton sees a bright future.
“I’m excited to be back,” he said. “We’ve got a nice young team and we made a lot of progress this past year. There’s no reason we can’t get back to MLS Cup next year.”
