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Meet the USASA: Aegean Hawks
A winning team that pays its dues...literally
A majority of the USASA clubs that advance to the U.S. Open Cup have some sort of backing behind them. Some are in the form of a professional-type organization, such as the NPSL clubs, while others are backed by ethnic clubs, or have a club structure setup. Washington D.C.’s Aegean Hawks are a different animal: a team in which the players themselves pay the cost of keeping their team on the field.
 While the name of the team used to be tied to an ethnic group, the club bears no certain ethnic flavor in the makeup of its team. The team was founded in 1996 by a group of Greek and Cypriot University students in the D.C. area, and is named after a Greek Army helicopter. As the years passed, most of the players who founded the team either stopped playing or went back to their homelands, and the name was kept out of respect for the founders. The club won three consecutive division championships, eventually gaining promotion in 2000 to the Premier Division of the Washington International Soccer League. In 2003, the Premier Division separated from the WISL to form the Washington Premier League. Aegean Hawks are the defending Fall and Spring WPL champions, winning both titles in 2006, and have already clinched the Spring 2007 title with two matches remaining.
The Hawks fell one game shy of a chance to qualify for the 2006 U.S. Open Cup, falling to the Ukrainian Nationals 4-1, on the strength of four goals from Virgus Anusauskas. This year, they advanced not only to the Region I Open Cup tournament, but the USASA Amateur Cup tournament as well. In the Open Cup, the first match was against Greek American Atlas, a three-time Open Cup champion in the 1960s. The Hawks took a 2-1 lead with five minutes remaining, but Atlas managed to score the equalizer in stoppage time, despite playing with only ten men. After a scoreless overtime, Aegean prevailed on penalties 4-2, and advanced to face Maryland’s AC United, a team that qualified for the cup in 2006 under the name Allied SC.
In a rather unique turn of events, the two clubs faced off in consecutive weekends. First, in the Region I Amateur Cup, AC United prevailed 2-1 after extra time in a hard-fought battle. The very next week, the teams met again, this time for a spot in the U.S. Open Cup. In a match that featured plenty of physical play, including two red cards for United, Aegean went home 4-0 winners. In addition to the U.S. Open Cup spot, they move on to face Danbury United for the right to represent Region I at the USASA National Cup Finals in Seattle.
Paying their dues, literally
Without a sponsor or club backing, the players that make up the Aegean Hawks roster pay for all of the club’s expenses. Jonathan Knight is not only the club’s general manager and head coach, but he is also a player for the team. Knight pays for all the season’s expenses up front, which includes league fees, cup fees, field rentals and equipment. The total is then divided up between the players on the roster, and paid back to Knight before league play starts. Once the team’s dues have run out, as they have already this season, expenses are divided up on a per-game basis.
"It’s tough to manage, but first and foremost I’ve put a squad together that are friends off the field," Knight says. For this reason, Knight is looking to someday make the team a non-profit entity to facilitate donations. "My legacy will be to leave the team in good hands with assurances that people are vested in its continued success."
A band of brothers
As for the team itself, their roster features players with experience at a wide range of Division I NCAA schools, including William & Mary, Duke, Maryland, Virginia, Syracuse, Virginia Commonwealth and Stanford. Some of the players on the squad have professional experience as well.
"We have guys who have a chip on their shoulder or feel they have been overlooked either in college or in the pros," Knight says of his team.
At age 34, Knight still takes the field on occasion, but also realizes when it’s time to step back in order to help the team. "I’m not one of those guys who will always play because I run the team. If we have better options, or if I’m playing poorly, I bench myself, and my players respect that." Knight points out that this attitude is what makes the team fun, while maintaining the goal of playing the best soccer possible.
As for their chances against the Harrisburg City Islanders, a professional team from the USL Second Division, in the first round of the U.S. Open Cup, Knight is optimistic, yet realistic. "If we don’t show up, we could get blown out. If we show up, it could be the opposite. I don’t have an ego about my team, we are beatable. But there is also so much upside that I will not be surprised if we win. We are a band of brothers who have nothing that binds us together but our competitive nature and a desire to not let go of that aspect of our lives."
The game will be played on Tuesday, June 12 at the Skyline Sports Complex in Harrisburg, PA. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
Perhaps Knight sums it up best as to what makes the U.S. Open Cup so special for USASA teams like his. "Ah…..the Open Cup, the ability to dream and make dreams come true!"
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