Brad Knighton currently is a New England Revolution Academy Head Coach for the Under-19 age group. He also serves as the Director of Goalkeeping within the academy. After taking over the Under-19 team last April, the team went on to win the MLS Next National Championship in Frisco, Texas. Most recently, he has spent time with the MLS NEXT PRO New England Revolution II team as an interim assistant coach.  

Brad just recently retired from a 16-year professional playing career in Major League Soccer. He played for the New England Revolution, Philadelphia Union, and the Vancouver Whitecaps. He featured in over 100 professional games throughout his career as a goalkeeper and was elected as the team representative to the MLS Players Union / MLS Players Association during his time in MLS. He helped other staff and players maneuver through 3 collective bargaining agreements where many decisions were made over the years regarding salary caps, budgets, television deals, and players rights. He also spent a lot of time out in the community, not only coaching but helping at many different charity events and organizations such as Boston Scores, Special Olympics MA, Binkee’s for Comfort, Boys and Girls Club of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and visited Boston Children’s Hospital and Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island monthly to meet and interact with children. He was named Humanitarian of the year in 2022.

Prior to his role in professional sports, he attended the University of North Carolina at Wilmington from 2003-2006 where he studied Interdisciplinary Studies. He was a 4-year varsity athlete for the Men’s Soccer Team and was named All-District, All-Region, and All-State his senior season. He still holds several records for the Men’s program. He was inducted into the UNCW Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018.

A native of Richmond, Virginia, Knighton played for the Richmond Strikers Soccer Club, and attended Mills E. Godwin High School and lettered all 4 years. In his senior year, the varsity soccer team won the AAA State Championship in soccer going 22-0 and winning the first state title in school history. Knighton was named all district, all region, and all state his senior year.

He is married to his wife Britney where they met in college at UNC-Wilmington. They have one daughter Olivia who will forever be 11, and two boys, Owen who is 9, and Brooks who is 5. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his family, playing golf, biking, and running. He also founded a goalkeeping company called Elite Performance Goalkeeping where he trains young and aspiring goalkeepers to help continue their education and growth at the position.