The Long Island Rough riders have been part of the the Long Island soccer scene since their inception in 1994. The Rough Riders won their first USISL National Championship in 1995, featuring future US National Team members Chris Armas, Tony Meola, and MLS star Giovanni Savarese. Since their initial success, the team has gone on to win the United Soccer League (USL) 2nd Division National Championship in 2002 and has sent dozens of players to Major League Soccer (MLS).

In recent years, the Rough Riders organization has expanded to include one of the largest elite youth soccer programs in North America. Over 20 teams between the ages of 9 and 20 participate in the Super Y-League (SYL), the youth component of the USL.

In 2007 the Rough Riders reacquired a W-League franchise from the USL, which was formerly known as the Lady Riders. At present both the Rough Riders Men's and Women's compete in the USL and enjoy playing double header matches at Michael J. Tully Park in New Hyde Park.

The Rough Riders came into existence in 1994 and joined the United Soccer Leagues as part of the USISL.  They ended their inaugural season with a 15-5 record, and made it as far as the semifinals of the championship playoffs, before losing 2-1.

In the team’s second year, future national team goalkeeper Tony Meola, Jim Rooney, and Giovanni Savarese helped the Rough Riders finish the season with a 20-2 record.  Savarese would later be named the USISL regular season and playoff MVP.

The season started with a 2-1 loss against the Charleston Battery. The Rough Riders battled back to beat the Myrtle Beach Boys 4-1 and Rhode Island Stingrays 1-0. In their home opener, the Rough Riders won a 5-0 game against the Albany Alleycats.  From then on, the wins kept on coming as the team ended up closing their home schedule 11-0 for the season, including an exhibition game against the U.S. Olympic team where the Rough Riders had a 3-0 victory.

In the round of 16 game against the Monterey Bay Jaguars, the Rough Riders pulled a 2-1 victory.  The Rough Riders won their quarterfinal match against the New Mexico Chiles 4-1, and headed into the finals after beating the Tampa Bay Cyclones 5-2 in the semis.  In the final game against the Minnesota Thunder, things were looking to go into extra time as a minute remained and the score remained tied at 1-1.  With 6 seconds left in regulation, Sevarese scored the winning goal.  Led by coach Alfonso Mondelo, the team won its first USISL championship.

After losing several players due to the creation of the MLS, the Rough Riders still had a successful 16-7 season.  The Rough Riders were in the USISL Select League and ended the season 1st in the Atlantic Division.  They made it through to the semifinals of the playoffs where they lost to the Richmond Kickers.

The 1997 season began with the merger of the USISL and the APSL, where the Rough Riders decided to move up into the A-League.  The team did well, ending the 16-12 season 2nd in the division, and making it into the Division Finals of the Playoffs and the Quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup.

 

Under leadership of new coach Paul Riley, the Rough Riders ended their 1998 season with a 17-11 record.  They finished 4th place in the Northeast Division and made it to the Conference Quarterfinals of the playoffs.

 

In 1999, the Rough Riders had an 18-9 season. They finished 3rd in the Northeast Division, and made it to the Conference Quarterfinals of the playoffs.

The 2000 season ended with the Rough Riders having a 16-9 record.  They finished top of the Northeast Division, and made it to the Conference Quarterfinals of the playoffs before losing to the .  In the annual “Grapple for the Apple IV,” the Rough Riders lost a 2-0 lead against the MetroStars for final score of 4-2.

The Rough Riders ended the 2001 season in 6th place of the Northern Division and last place of the A-League.

In 2002, the Rough Riders moved down to the Second Division USL D-3 Pro League, ending the season in 1st place of the Atlantic Division and eventually becoming the D-3 Pro League National Champions.  After the losing season that the Rough Riders had in 2001 and losing 5-0 against archrivals New York Freedoms on June 15, 2002, winning was not expected.  However things turned around after a 5-1 victory over the Connecticut Wolves on July 17 and the Rough Riders moved into second place.  Things continued to go their way as the Rough Riders took the Atlantic Conference lead after a 3-2 win over the New Jersey Stallions.  In an encore game against the Stallions two days later, the Rough Riders clinched the conference title and playoff home-field advantage with a 4-1 win.

In the quarterfinal match against the Freedoms, the Rough Riders held a 2-2 tie after 120 minutes, finally winning 4-3 in penalty kicks.  The Rough Riders played their semifinal game against the Wolves shorthanded, but still came out with an amazing 3-0 victory.  In the championship game against the Hammerheads, the Rough Riders held a 1-1 tie until the 82nd minute, when Etienne scored the winning goal.

In 2003, the Rough Riders moved to the USL Pro Select League, eventually ending the season 1st in the Atlantic Division.  The team made its way to the Regional Finals in the playoffs, and the 2nd Round of the U.S. Open Cup.

The 2004 season marked the return of two former Rough Riders; Jim Rooney from the New England Revolution and MLS star Giovanni Savarese, who had been playing overseas.  The team had a tough 8-11-1 season, finishing 3rd in the Atlantic Division, and failing to make both the playoffs and U.S. Open Cup.

 

The Rough Riders had a rough season in 2006, finishing the year last in the division with just three wins and fifteen goals.

 

After a disastrous 2006 season, the Rough Riders started 2007 in the USL Premier Development League.  They ended the season 4th in the Northeast Division and made it to the 1st round of the U.S. Open Cup.

2007 was also the first year of the Rough Riders Women’s team, which plays in the USL W-League.

 

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