Knighton Retires After 16 Seasons

WILMINGTON, North Carolina – UNCW men's soccer great and New England Revolution goalkeeper Brad Knighton has announced his retirement after a 16-year professional career, including 15 seasons in Major League Soccer.

Knighton, 37, spent 12 seasons in a New England uniform – the most in club history – and enjoyed additional MLS stints with the Philadelphia Union and Vancouver Whitecaps FC. He will remain with New England as he begins his coaching career as the Revolution Academy's Under-17 Head Coach.

A standout keeper for the Seahawks from 2003-06, Knighton was inducted into the UNCW Athletic Hall of Fame in 2018. The Richmond, Va., native completed his degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from UNCW in 2019.

"What a career Brad has had! Long and distinguished, Brad has been the consummate professional," said UNCW Head men's soccer coach Aidan Heaney." To have been in the professional ranks as long speaks volumes of his talent, character and resilience.

"He also had an incredible impact off the pitch being named the Revs Humanitarian of the Year. We are tremendously proud of him."

The 6-2 goalkeeper closes out his professional career with 277 saves and 16 clean sheets across 82 starts in 85 appearances. Knighton posted a 33-29-20 career mark in MLS action, including a 21-20-14 league record with the Revolution.

Knighton began his MLS career with New England in 2007 and spent three seasons with the club before Philadelphia selected him with the third pick in the 2009 Expansion Draft. He appeared in eight games in Philly's inaugural 2010 season.

The netminder signed with Vancouver in January of 2012 and played two seasons in Canada before New England re-acquired Knighton in a trade ahead of the 2014 season.

An active member of the New England community, Knighton was honored as the Revolution's 2022 Humanitarian of the Year for his steadfast support of countless charitable initiatives such as Special Olympics Massachusetts and the Revolution Unified Team.

"It's been an incredible ride and I'm thankful for being able to play 16 seasons professionally," said Knighton. "I'm really looking forward to the next chapter in my football journey and I have a great opportunity with coaching the Under-17 Revolution Academy Team. I can't wait to get started!"

Knighton started all but two games between the pipes for the Seahawks from 2003-06, playing 6,891 minutes – a record for the program's goalkeepers. He ranks second all-time in goals against average (1.08), games played in goal (75) and games started in goal (73).

Knighton was a two-time All-State selection and two-time All-Colonial Athletic Association pick, including First-Team during his senior year in 2006. He was named to the NSCAA/Adidas All-Region team following an outstanding final season with the Seahawks.

Knighton met his wife, Britney, when she completed a nursing degree at UNCW. The pair were married in Wilmington and have three children.

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Knighton Retires After 16 Seasons