When the NISA Independent Cup roster was announced for this summer’s competition, there was a predicable scramble to find information about the lesser-known clubs on the list. Due to the breadth and depth of the lower league scene, there’s just not enough bandwidth to know EVERY club at a moment’s notice, particularly when an organization is new or rebranded. NY Braveheart was one of those clubs and, as with so many other similar clubs, when we began to dig into the origins of the club we discovered an interesting story.

Braveheart is every bit of the name. It is a club with a tough entrance into the scene, one filled with challenge and adversity. But those negatives became positives, as it shaped the club and its staff into a dedicated group, focused on winning and triumphing over the struggle. We sat down with the club leadership to discuss their journey so far and their plan for the future.

Your club emerged from the ashes of NAFC. How did that story play out? What was your role?

“We were part of the investor group that have an equity stake and provided cash loans towards the launch of New Amsterdam FC. Things did not go as planned, we wish we had a say on some of the operational decisions, but you cannot look back but just move forward.”

Braveheart SC, how'd that name come about?

“We, the people in New York, have dealt with few painful life changing events (9/11 to the Pandemic- Covid 19), Covid-19 has impacted lots of young folks, especially young athletes who have lost a couple of valuable years from competitive soccer. This has led to young athletes having mental and physical let down. We as a club are providing these athletes that opportunity and we felt Braveheart SC we be an appropriate name for the club based on what our vision was.”

Finished third in NISA Nation East this first season, how was the level of play in the league? What lessons did your club learn from the experience?

“We had a slow start which resulted us in finishing in third place. As a Club we had to rebrand and start all over again, this led to us not being fully prepared to start the season. Even though we had the talent to win it all, it always does not work the way you like. The level of play was pretty good, we got to travel to New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Maryland and faced quality teams.

“But, at the end there needs to be more collaboration and support from the NISA PRO to make NISA NATION its feeder Club. We sincerely hope changes will be made to address these situations. Jonathan Rednour, the Managing Director of NISA NATION, did an amazing job building the league this past season, but unless there is more support from the NISA PRO side, this will be a challenging project for Jonathan Rednour to grow and establish NISA NATION especially in the East Coast.”

What are your goals for your organization?

GOALS- For the fall 2022, we are planning to participate in the UPSL Premier Division and continue to support NISA NATION. In 2023, based on NISA NATION progress, we will continue similar to our fall participation or look into other leagues especially the Summer Leagues to continue the talent growth within the Club.

Your club shocked a lot of us pundits when you knocked off two solid Independent Cup rivals. Did you feel confident going into those matches? Secondarily, what does a win against a club like Lansdowne say about your club?

“Landsdowne is a well-established club with a great tradition in New York, known as one of the top amateur soccer clubs in the U.S.A. Going into the game, we know we could compete because we are a well-organized club with talent and quality coaching, as long we played our best game, we knew we would get the result we wanted. We would also want to mention our game against AC Syracuse, even with all the last minutes changes to a new venue two hours further out than originally scheduled, canceling our original hotel booking, driving almost 6 hours, missing a few starters due to prior commitments, we were neck to neck with AC Syracuse (NISA PRO) until the 72nd minute when we got a red card and went one man down. The score does not give us justice, but as a club we know we can compete at the Pro Level.”

Next steps for Braveheart?

“In 2023, we will continue to look for opportunity to grow the club, including looking to participate in the summer leagues to continue the development of the young talent. We as a club also started a collaboration with MLS Next Academy- Met Oval. This collaboration will help us with building our Youth Academy Program. Once we have established our foundation, will look to enter the PRO ranks in 2 to 3 years.

“We have lot of quality talent, High School All-American, MLS Academy players, D-1, D-2 players and few ex-professional players. All have the same goal of working hard and trying to get to the next level- ‘Path to Pro.’ We as a club will work with these talented players to reach the next level.”

- Dan Vaughn