{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2018}} {{about|the men's team|the women's team|K-W United FC (women)}} {{Infobox football club | clubname = K–W United FC | image = K-W United FC logo.svg | upright = 0.8 | fullname = Kitchener–Waterloo United Football Club | nickname = ''Rage'', ''Black and Blue Army'' | founded = {{start date and age|2011}} ''(as Hamilton FC Rage)'' | dissolved = {{end date and age|2017}} | stadium = University Stadium<br />Waterloo, Ontario | capacity = 6,000 | chrtitle = President | chairman = Barry MacLean | mgrtitle = Head coach | manager = Martin Painter | league = Premier Development League | season = 2017 | position = 2nd, Great Lakes Division<br />Playoffs: Conference semifinals | current = | website = {{URL|http://www.kwunitedfc.com/}}
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'''K–W United FC''' was a Canadian soccer team based in the Kitchener–Waterloo region in Ontario that played in the Premier Development League, the fourth tier of the American soccer league system. The club was originally formed in Hamilton, Ontario, as ''Hamilton Rage FC'', until moving to Kitchener-Waterloo in 2012. The men's team also had a sister women's team of the same name, who played in the USL W-League. The club ceased operations in February 2018.
==History== ===Hamilton Rage=== thumb|left|upright=0.5|Hamilton FC Rage logo On February 17, 2011, the Hamilton FC Rage were announced an expansion franchise in the Premier Development League expansion franchise on February 17, 2011, when the owner's of the women's team, Hamilton Avalanche (which would also be renamed as the Hamilton FC Rage in 2011) who played in the USL W-League, decided to add a men's team to the club.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uslsoccer.com/home/501552.html |title=Hamilton FC Rage Joins PDL |publisher=United Soccer League |date=February 17, 2011 |access-date=June 20, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010183817/http://www.uslsoccer.com/home/501552.html |archive-date=October 10, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thespec.com/sports/2011/06/18/soccer-is-all-the-fc-rage-in-hamilton.html|title=Soccer is all the FC Rage in Hamilton|date=June 18, 2011|work=The Hamilton Spectator|first=Larry|last=Moko}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hamiltonscores.com/soccer/usl-welcomes-hamilton-fc-to-mens-u23-pdl/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190130033502/http://www.hamiltonscores.com/soccer/usl-welcomes-hamilton-fc-to-mens-u23-pdl/|title=USL welcomes Hamilton FC to Men’s U23 PDL|date=February 17, 2011|work=Hamilton Scores|archive-date=January 30, 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> The club's official name was the Hamilton Football Club (Hamilton FC).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hamiltonnews.com/news-story/5418331-top-level-amateur-soccer-comes-to-hamilton/|title=Top level amateur soccer comes to Hamilton|date=March 2, 2011|work=Stoney Creek News}}</ref> They played their first competitive game on May 25, 2011, a 2–0 loss to the Toronto Lynx.{{cn|date=August 2022}} They won their first game in their second game on May 29, defeating the Ottawa Fury 5-0.{{cn|date=August 2022}} The club ultimately did not make the playoffs in their first season, but the team was lauded for its professional environment by players.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thespec.com/sports/hamilton-region/2011/07/08/hamilton-fc-rage-winds-down-debut-season.html|title=Hamilton FC Rage winds down debut season|date=July 8, 2011|work=The Hamilton Spectator|first=Larry|last=Moko}}</ref>
===K-W United=== Following the 2012 PDL season, the club was sold, renamed ''K–W United FC'', and both the men's and women's teams were relocated to Kitchener-Waterloo due to low attendance numbers in Hamilton throughout the club's two seasons.<ref name=newpro>{{cite web|url=https://www.therecord.com/sports/waterloo-region/2013/02/07/region-scores-two-new-professional-soccer-teams.html|title=Region scores two new professional soccer teams|date=February 7, 2013|work=Waterloo Region Record|first=Mark|last=Bryson}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thespec.com/news/hamilton-region/2013/02/07/k-w-lands-hamilton-soccer-franchise.html|title=K-W lands Hamilton soccer franchise|date=February 7, 2013|work=The Hamilton Spectator}}</ref> The club formed a partnership with local youth club Kitchener SC.<ref name=newpro /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thecord.ca/k-w-united-fc-formally-introduced/|title=K-W United FC formally introduced|date=February 7, 2013|first=Shelby|last=Blackly|work=The Cord}}</ref> (The club had no affiliation with SC Waterloo Region, who also played in the Canadian Soccer League and were formerly known as K-W United FC.<ref name=newpro />
In 2015, after finishing 2nd in the competitive Great Lakes Division, they won the PDL Championship, defeating New York Red Bulls U-23 on August 2 in the playoff final by a score of 4–3,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.socceramerica.com/article/64959/ontarios-k-w-united-fc-takes-pdl-crown.html|title=Ontario's K-W United FC takes PDL crown|first=Paul|last=Kennedy|publisher=Soccer America|date=August 3, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.therecord.com/sports/waterloo-region/2016/05/17/k-w-united-fc-begins-quest-to-defend-pdl-crown.html|title=K-W United FC begins quest to defend PDL crown|date=May 17, 2016|first=Josh|last=Brown|work=Waterloo Region Record}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thecord.ca/winning-anything-feels-great/|title=K-W United wins Premier Development League championship|first=Drew|last=Yates|date=September 6, 2016|work=The Cord}}</ref> becoming the third Canadian club to win a PDL title after the Thunder Bay Chill in 2008 and FC London in 2012.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://aftn.ca/canadian-side-k-w-united-win-2015-pdl-championship-after-seven-goal-thriller/|title=Canadian side K-W United win 2015 PDL Championship after seven-goal thriller|date=August 3, 2015|work=Away from the Numbers|first=Michael|last=McColl}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wakingthered.com/2015/8/2/9087765/kw-united-win-first-ever-pdl-championship|title=KW United win club's first ever PDL Championship|first=Dave|last=Rowaan|publisher=Waking The Red|date=August 3, 2015|access-date=August 3, 2015|archive-date=April 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170409030542/http://www.wakingthered.com/2015/8/2/9087765/kw-united-win-first-ever-pdl-championship|url-status=dead}}</ref>
In 2017, they formed a partnership with Major League Soccer club Toronto FC to serve as the team's PDL affiliate for two seasons, after Toronto FC withdrew their Academy team from the PDL after the 2016 season.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.torontofc.ca/post/2017/03/17/toronto-fc-and-kitchener-waterloo-united-announce-partnership|title=Toronto FC and Kitchener Waterloo United Announce Partnership|date=March 17, 2017|work=Toronto FC}}</ref> However, a year later, in February 2018, the club ceased operations after not being granted sanctioning to play in the US-based PDL, due to the Canadian Soccer Association wanting them to join the comparable level League1 Ontario.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://northernstartingeleven.com/what-happened-to-kw-united-fc/|title=What Happened to KW United FC?|first=Nathanael|last=Martin|date=June 20, 2018|work=Northern Starting XI}}</ref> Over the five seasons, after missing the playoffs in their inaugural season, they qualified for the playoffs each of the other four seasons.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.therecord.com/sports/waterloo-region/2017/05/09/k-w-united-fc-forced-to-find-instant-chemistry.html|title=K-W United FC forced to find instant chemistry|date=May 9, 2017|work=Waterloo Region Record|first=Josh|last=Brown}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.therecord.com/sports/waterloo-region/2018/02/22/k-w-united-fc-on-the-sidelines.html|title=K-W United FC on the sidelines|date=February 22, 2018|work=Waterloo Region Record|first=Josh|last=Brown}}</ref> The club had a supporters group known as the Grand River Union.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.therecord.com/sports/waterloo-region/2017/05/30/meet-k-w-united-fc-s-blue-and-white-army.html|title=Meet K-W United FC's blue and white army|date=May 30, 2017|work=Waterloo Region Record|first=Josh|last=Brown}}</ref>
== Notable former players == ''This list of notable former players comprises players who went on to play professional soccer after playing for the team in the Premier Development League, or those who previously played professionally before joining the team.'' {{cmn|colwidth=15em| * {{Flagicon|CAN}} Jeff Addai * {{flagicon|NOR}} Øyvind Alseth * {{flagicon|PAN}} Jiro Barriga Toyama * {{flagicon|CAN}} Niki Budalic * {{flagicon|GER}} Julian Büscher * {{flagicon|SRB}} Miroslav Čabrilo (Hamilton) * {{flagicon|CAN}} Sergio Camargo * {{flagicon|CAN}} Jay Chapman * {{flagicon|USA}} A. J. Cochran * {{flagicon|CAN}} Anthony Di Biase (Hamilton) * {{flagicon|CAN}} Zachary Ellis-Hayden * {{flagicon|CRC}} Ricky Garbanzo * {{flagicon|CAN}} Sam Gardner * {{flagicon|CAN}} Nathan Ingham * {{flagicon|CAN}} Evan James * {{flagicon|JPN}} Ken Krolicki * {{flagicon|CAN}} Mathieu Laurent * {{flagicon|USA}} Scott Levene * {{flagicon|GER}} János Löbe * {{flagicon|CAN}} Darrin MacLeod * {{flagicon|CAN}} Kamal Miller * {{flagicon|CAN}} Jordan Murrell * {{Flagicon|CAN}} Emeka Ononye * {{Flagicon|CAN}} Nikola Paunic * {{flagicon|COL}} Nicolás Perea * {{flagicon|USA}} Ben Polk * {{flagicon|USA}} Justin Portillo * {{flagicon|CAN}} Austin Ricci * {{flagicon|PUR}} Darren Ríos * {{flagicon|CAN}} Dylan Sacramento * {{Flagicon|SKN}} Alain Sargeant * {{Flagicon|SKN}} Justin Springer * {{Flagicon|CAN}} Dayne St. Clair * {{Flagicon|NGA}} Uchenna Uzo * {{Flagicon|CAN}} Stefan Vukovic }}
==Year-by-year== as '''Hamilton FC Rage''' {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |- !Year !League !{{tooltip|Record|Wins, draws, losses}} !Regular season !Playoffs !Reference |- |2011 |rowspan=2|Premier Development League |5–3–8 |6th, Great Lakes (9) |''Did not qualify'' |rowspan="2"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cansha.coffeecup.com/hamrage.html|title=Hamilton Rage Statistics|work=Canadian Soccer History Archives}}</ref> |- |2012 |4–3–9 |7th, Great Lakes (8) |''Did not qualify'' |- |}
as '''K-W United''' {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |- !Year !League !{{tooltip|Record|Wins, draws, losses}} !Regular season !Playoffs !Reference |- |2013 |rowspan=5|Premier Development League |5–3–6 |4th, Great Lakes (7) |''Did not qualify'' |rowspan="5"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cansha.coffeecup.com/kwutd.html|title=K-W United Statistics|work=Canadian Soccer History Archives}}</ref> |- |2014 |8–3–3 |2nd, Great Lakes (6) |Conference Semifinals |- |2015 |11–1–2 |2nd, Great Lakes (7) | bgcolor="FFEBAD"|Champions |- |2016 |11–1–2 |2nd, Great Lakes (7) |Conference Semifinals |- |2017 |9–1–4 |2nd, Great Lakes (6) |Conference Semifinals |- |}
==Honours== * '''Premier Development League''' ** Champions (1): 2015
==Head coaches== * {{flagicon|ENG}} Brett Mosen (2011–2013) * {{flagicon|CAN}} Stuart Neely (2014) * {{flagicon|CAN}} Chris Pozniak (2015) * {{flagicon|CAN}} Martin Painter (2016–2017)
==Stadiums== * Brian Timmis Stadium; Hamilton, Ontario (2011) * Ron Joyce Stadium; Hamilton, Ontario (2012) * University Stadium; Waterloo, Ontario (2013–2017)
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:K-W United FC}} Category:Association football clubs established in 2010 Category:Association football clubs disestablished in 2017 Category:Defunct Premier Development League teams Category:2011 establishments in Ontario Category:K–W United FC Category:Sport in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo Category:Soccer clubs in Ontario Category:2017 disestablishments in Ontario Category:2017 disestablishments in Canada Category:United Soccer League teams based in Canada