It’s hard not to be entertained when watching Brooklyn FC play soccer.
Wednesday night’s 3-0 victory against DC Power lifted Brooklyn back to the top of the standings as it earned a season-best fourth consecutive victory and league-high seventh win of the season. Luana Grabias was the star of the show, scoring a hat trick in less than 15 minutes – the fastest in the league and the first brace or hat trick for the club.
But even before Wednesday, Brooklyn has been a team you can’t take your eyes off. Here are three key elements of the team’s identity that make their matchups ones you’ll want to tune into:
1. Grit and tenacity
From the moment the first whistle blows, Brooklyn goes from 0 to 100. Against Fort Lauderdale in late October, for example, the team had two shots on goal in the first three minutes and two corners in the first 13 minutes of the match.
Brooklyn has the highest duel success rate in the league at nearly 53% and ranks third in tackle success at 67%. Mackenzie Pluck and Sam Kroeger are two of the most aggressive and skilled midfielders in the league, averaging a combined 12.25 duels won and 3.25 tackles won per match. Mackenzie George has the speed to get past anyone, and she is not afraid to take on two or three defenders at once. And while goalkeeper Sydney Martinez might sometimes startle you with how far she comes outside her box, it has paid off every single time she cuts off an attacking run and clears the ball.
Even with the team averaging the least possession, it creates scoring opportunities and makes the most of the time when it does have the ball while making it challenging for the other team to do so.
2. Everyone gets in on the scoring
In any match, you never know who is going to get on the scoresheet or how they will go about it. Grabias now leads the team with four goals, but right behind her is Jess Garziano with three, while George, Isabel Cox and Dana Scheriff have netted two of their own. Nine players have recorded either a goal or assist in the club’s 15 goals. Only Carolina (10) and Dallas (11) have more unique contributors.
The variety in the types of goals is what makes them even more exciting to see. The team can shoot from long range like Garziano’s September Goal of the Month or Kroeger’s taken from the short corner. It has great team goals that come after four or five players connect moving up the field. It also has defenders like Allison Pantuso that can redirect headers into the back of the net.
3. The team plays with joy
As if the goals themselves weren’t exciting enough, you’re missing out if you don’t pay attention to the choreographed celebrations afterwards. First, there was the bowling pins, then the photo shoot, then a golf swing. During the World Series, the team celebrated with a home run hit, and for the match on Halloween, Grabias followed up her goal by going trick-or-treating. The anticipation to see what celly Brooklyn has planned is almost greater than for the team to score in the first place.
From the day Brooklyn unveiled its stylish, collared pinstriped kits, everyone knew the team had a certain flair. It has been translated onto the pitch, and the players clearly have a special dynamic that is unsurpassed in the Super League right now.
