Brad Knighton admittedly played his best after the Whitecaps signed Danish goalkeeper David Ousted in the summer.
By then, of course, it was never going to work out long term. Ousted’s ascension was merely a matter of time and opportunity — Knighton’s margin for error was almost nil.
On Wednesday, the Whitecaps traded Knighton, 28, to the New England Revolution, where he broke into the league in 2007. In exchange, the Caps acquired a conditional pick in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft.
“This is a great opportunity for Brad to go back to New England, where he has played before and has a chance to be a starting goalkeeper in this league,” Whitecaps president Bobby Lenarduzzi said in a release. “We would like to thank Brad for all of his contributions to the club over the past two seasons and wish him the best of luck.”
Knighton joined the Caps in Jan., 2012, following a season under coach Martin Rennie with the NASL’s Carolina RailHawks. In two seasons with the Caps, the Hickory, N.C., native was 13-7-7 with eight shutouts in all competitions.
Without the trade, Knighton would have been eligible for Thursday’s MLS re-entry draft. The Caps had declined his 2014 contract option.
The club also announced Wednesday that forward Tommy Heinemann has opted out of the MLS re-entry process. As a result, Heinemann’s rights will remain with the Caps, which means he could yet re-sign with the club.
Still in the re-entry draft are goalkeeper Joe Cannon and forward Corey Hertzog. The Caps declined options on both.
