How it all came to be...
Cameron Knowles grew up in New Zealand watching his brother play soccer and started tagging along at practices. When he was finally old enough, he joined the Glenfield Rovers club team at age five and stayed with the same team until age fifteen. While he was with the Rovers, Knowles started playing with the North Harbor Regional Team when he was thirteen. After that, Knowles worked his way up through the ranks and when he was 15-years old, he was selected to play on the U-16 National Team.
After a year with the U-16 National Team, Knowles was chosen to play on a men's club team called North Shore United when he was just 16-years old. North Shore United was in the top league in New Zealand at the time. Knowles, now a defender for Real Salt Lake, was a forward during his four years in high school. After high school, he was chosen to be on New Zealand's 1999 FIFA World Championship Team, but he broke his fibula three weeks before the opening of the U-17 World Cup.
Knowles then turned his attention toward playing college soccer. He had heard about guys from other teams playing college soccer in the United States on scholarships and he knew that was what he wanted to do. An older friend that he knew had gone to the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio and he put Knowles in touch with the coaching staff.
At the University of Akron, Knowles was a solid defender and the Akron defense only allowed three goals in league play and recorded 13 shutouts in 2004. While a member of the Zips, he was named All-Mid-American Conference First Team his senior year. After he finished up his fall season at the University of Akron, Knowles was invited to the 2005 adidas MLS Combine in Carson, Calif. Knowles caught the attention of Head Coach John Ellinger, and from there was drafted by Real Salt Lake in the fourth round of the MLS Supplemental Draft.
Coach Ellinger's Call...
"Cameron is a player that I know very well having seen him play with New Zealand in the build-up to the 1999 Youth World Championships. He is a very strong defender, strong in the air, a great communicator, and solid defensively individually and as a team. Cameron has a great future in Major League Soccer."
Field Vision: Defender Rusty Pierce says...
"I've played alongside Cameron in three games now and he makes my job a whole lot easier because of his ability to organize and his positioning. An important quality for a center back to have is to take the guess work out while playing. He simplifies the game and that makes everyone around him better."
Things you need to know...
Hobbies:
Golf, Reading
Major in college:
International Business
Most memorable moments:
NCAA 2nd Round win at home vs. Rutgers
Favorite music:
Pacifier, U2
Favorite movie:
Once Were Warriors
Favorite food:
Seafood
Favorite book:
The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay
Favorite TV show:
That 70s Show
Favorite athlete outside of soccer:
Andre Agassi
