Ocean City Nor'easters

Full name	Ocean City Nor'easters
Nickname	Nor'easters
Founded	1996; 29 years ago (1996) (asSouth Jersey Barons)
Stadium	Carey Stadium Ocean City, New Jersey[1]
Capacity	3,500
Owner	Giancarlo Granese
Manager	Matt Perrella
League	USL League Two
2024	1st, Mid Atlantic Division Playoffs: Conference Quarterfinals
Website	Official website
Home colors Away colors

Ocean City Nor'easters is an Americansoccer team based inOcean City, New Jersey. Founded in 1996, the team currently plays inUSL League Two, the fourth tier of theAmerican Soccer Pyramid.

The team plays their home games atCarey Stadium which is located right next to the boardwalk inOcean City, New Jersey. The stadium's nickname "The Beach House" was coined during the 2005 season by the team's play-by-play announcer Josh Hakala.^[1] The team's colors are royal blue and orange.

They are among the most successfulUSL League Two teams since joining the league in 2003 after six seasons in theUSISL D-3 Pro League. Since 2003, they have the third-best regular season record and the fourth-best home record in the league.^[2] They are also one of the best amateur clubs in the country when it comes to theU.S. Open Cup. As aUSL League Two team, they have won 11 games as an amateur team (12 overall) with six of them coming against professional opponents^[3] Only two Open Division amateur teamsFlint City Bucks with 10 andDes Moines Menace with 7) have more pro team upsets in the tournament's Modern Era (1995–present).

In 2008, the Barons formed a partnership withReading of the EnglishFootball League Championship that has since ended. In 2010, following a split between the PDL team and their youth soccer affiliate, the team re-branded to Ocean City FC, adopted Reading's colors, and a similar badge. The team also adopted a new nickname: theNor'easters.^[4] Since the re-brand the team has won two Eastern Conference championships (2013, 2016)^[5]

The club was founded in 1996 as theSouth Jersey Barons and joined theUnited Systems of Independent Soccer Leagues (USISL) as a professional franchise, competing in theUSISL D-3 Pro League (now theUnited Soccer League). In 1998, in only their second year in existence, the Barons won the Mid-Atlantic Division title. The next year, they followed that up with a second straight playoff appearance and a run to the USISL D-3 national championship game. On September 11, 1999, the Barons, playing the title game on the road, lost 2–1 to theWestern Mass Pioneers. The Barons made a third straight playoff appearance in 2000, but would struggle for the next three years, never finishing above fourth place in the division.

In 2003, the Barons moved to theUSL Premier Development League, and after finishing in fourth place in their inaugural season, they made history in their second season in the PDL. In 2004, they became the fifth team in league history to go through the regular season with an unbeaten record (14–0–4).^[5] They won the Northeast Division title that year, but their season came to the end in the playoffs. In the conference championship game atMcPherson Stadium inGreensboro, North Carolina, they lost to theCarolina Dynamo 3–2 on a goal in the 90th minute.

In 2005, the South Jersey Barons were taken over by a local businessman,Giancarlo Granese. The first act as new owner was to move the Barons toOcean City, New Jersey permanently and rename the team theOcean City Barons. The club moved into its new home at Carey Stadium on 6th Street and the Boardwalk.

In their first full season at Carey Stadium in theUSL League Two, the club won every game in the regular season at home (8–0–0), and finished with a 12–3–1 overall record under the direction of player-coach-general managerNeil Holloway. By the end of the regular season, their home unbeaten streak had reached 22 games, with their last home loss coming back on June 7, 2003, against theVermont Voltage. The fans came out to see the Barons win that year, as the club finished with the sixth-best home attendance in theUSL League Two. They hosted the Eastern Conference playoffs, but were upset in the conference semifinals by theRichmond Kickers Future 4–3 on a goal in the final seconds of regulation by Richmond'sDominic Oduro.

2006 marked the 10th season for the Barons organization, but on the field, despite finishing with a winning record, it was considered a down year by club standards.^[5] The Barons finished with a 6–4–6 record, which was good enough for second place in the Northeast Division, and they missed the playoffs for the first time since moving to the PDL. The Barons' home unbeaten streak came to an end on July 16 when they lost 2–1 to theOttawa Fury. The streak, which still stands as a club record, ended at 28 games. Since 2003, this remained the longest home unbeaten streak until theDes Moines Menace had a 30-game streak that ended in 2023.^[5]

In 2007, long-timeOcean City High School head coach Mike Pellegrino took over the coaching duties and returned the Barons to the playoffs. Their 9–3–4 record earned them a second-place finish in the Mid-Atlantic Division. Their home record continued with a 6–1–1 mark and the Barons were selected by the league to host the Eastern Conference playoffs for the second time in three years. The club lost in the conference semifinals to theCape Cod Crusaders 5–0 after they had two players sent off in the opening 24 minutes of the match.

The 2008 campaign was a tale of two halves as the club suffered its worst season since joining theUSL League Two. Despite this, they still had a winning record with 6 wins, 5 losses and 5 draws. In the first half of the season, the Barons were unbeaten, with a record of 4–0–4, but the second half of the season was a different story, finishing with a 2–5–1 record. Some of the highlights includedByron Carmichael becoming the club's all-time leader in goals and points, while finishing the season with an even 100 career points. Ocean City's 8–1 win over the expansionNew Jersey Rangers was a historic one asSteve Miller scored the club's third hat trick in franchise history and it was the most goals scored in a game and the largest margin of victory that the club has ever enjoyed as a member ofUSL League Two.

The Barons bounced back from a disappointing 2008 season with one of the club's greatest campaigns in 2009. In addition to a pair of professional team upsets in theU.S. Open Cup and a date withD.C. United ofMajor League Soccer, Ocean City had a great regular season and a historic postseason run. After a 9–4–3 record earned them a third-place finish in the competitive Northeast Division and a spot in the postseason, they made history with two playoff wins before advancing to the PDL quarterfinals. The Barons eliminated theLong Island Rough Riders, the second best defensive team in the PDL, 2–0 in the opening round, giving OC their first playoff win since 2004. In the next round, the Men In Red handed the undefeatedOttawa Fury their first loss of the season with a 2–1 overtime win on a 98th-minute goal byTyler Bellamy. The playoff run came to an end inDes Moines, Iowa, where they lost to theChicago Fire Premier 3–0.

The club rebranded itself after the 2009 season, becoming the Ocean City Nor’easters and adopting the color scheme (royal blue & white) of English clubReading. However, in their first season with their new identity in 2010, the team struggled, finishing with a 5–6–5 record, their first losing season since they joined the PDL in 2003. By and large, the team featured a very young, inexperienced roster and failed to qualify for the post-season and theLamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The season could have been different with a few different bounces of the ball, as four of the six losses suffered were by one goal.^[5]

The era one of high promise that teetered on the edge of success. The Nor’easters finished with a 2–6–8 record knowing that if they had turned the ties into victories then the season would have had a completely different look to it. The young players from the Under-20 Men continue to push into the first team and the Nor’easters Academy is already proving successful with the likes of Mitch Grotti, Jerry Guzzo and Gio Tacconelli all graduating to the PDL first team in 2011.

The Ocean City Nor’easters began the 2012 season with a change of head coach with Neil Holloway concentrating on his general manager duties and Rutgers-Camden coach Tim Oswald joining the team. The Nor’easters put together a strong, deep roster that saw them go on a 13–3–0 regular season record which resulted in them winning the Mid-Atlantic Division and qualifying for the2013 U.S. Open Cup. The Nor’easters recorded one of their biggest attendances of 1,175 for their final home game as the supporters gave their appreciation for the exciting and successful season.

The Nor’easters' was arguably their greatest to date. Ocean City finished with an 11–2–1 record (2nd best record in Eastern Conference) and qualified for the playoffs. In the postseason, they won the Eastern Conference championship and advanced to the PDL Semifinals. Earlier in the season, they added to their U.S. Open Cup resume by upsetting thePittsburgh Riverhounds of theUnited Soccer League to earn their fifth win over a pro team. In the following round, they nearly knocked off thePhiladelphia Union but theMajor League Soccer side scored a game-winning goal in second half stoppage time.

After another winning season in 2014 (7–5–2), the Nor'easters lost out on a playoff berth in 2015 on the final day of the campaign. The club got back to their winning ways with a roster that was almost unrecognizable from the previous year. A 9–5–0 record was good enough for second place in the Mid-Atlantic Division and a spot in the PDL playoffs. When they got into the postseason, they made the most of it. They defeated three division champions en route to the PDL Semifinals with wins over theGPS Portland Phoenix,Charlotte Eagles, and their long-time rivalReading United AC in the conference final. They would fall to the Calgary Foothills FC in the PDL Semifinals hosted at Carey Stadium.

In 2017, former Ocean City defender John Thompson took over as head coach as Tim Oswald shifted to a front office role as Sporting Director. Despite finishing with a better regular season record (9–4–1) than the previous year's Eastern Conference championship team, the Nor'easters missed out on the PDL playoffs due to a change in the playoff format. In 2018, the division was even more competitive after adding theLong Island Rough Riders and a second straight nine-win season (9–5–0) wasn't enough to qualify for the postseason, and because the US Soccer Federation reduced the number of Open Division teams that were included in the 2019 tournament, they did not qualify for theU.S. Open Cup.

Prior to the 2019 season,John Thompson announced he was stepping down from the role as head coach. Later that offseason, the club announced thatTim Oswald would return to the sidelines as head coach with Kevin Nuss returning to the club to replace Oswald as Sporting Director. However, a week before the season,Oswald announced that he would be stepping down as head coach due to a medical concern and Kevin Nuss would take over as head coach. The team finished second in the Mid-Atlantic Division.

After the 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, play resumed in 2021 under new leadership. Alan McCann, who had won the last two USL-2 Coach of the Year awards while in charge of rivalReading United AC, was hired to lead the Nor'easters in the club's 24th season[1]. McCann led the Nor'easters back to the playoffs but the Storm ultimately fell short, dropping a narrow 1–0 decision to West Chester United in the Eastern Conference semifinals[2]. The Nor'easters finished with a 9–2–3 record, the club's best regular season record since 2013. Ocean City finished in second place in the Mid-Atlantic Division for the second year in a row.

The Nor'easters did it by making some history along the way on both sides of the ball. Offensively, the 2021 team scored 40 goals, the second most in the league, and the most by an Ocean City team since 2005. The club was led bySimon Becher with 11 goals. Becher, who was named to the All-Conference team[3], led the league in game-winning goals and finished tied for third in goals. On the defensive side, it was one of the best back lines in club history, allowing just 12 goals in 14 regular season games with a 0.86 team goals against average. Both were records for a 14-game season. Another defensive accomplishment was eight clean sheets across all competitions, the second-most in club history.

In 2022, Kevin Nuss returned to the sidelines to lead the Nor'easters for the club's 25th season. Ocean City finished the regular season undefeated (11–0–3) for the second time in club history and won the Mid-Atlantic Division title for the fourth time. Last year's team made headlines for its offense, but in 2022, it was the defense that broke club records. Goalkeeper Felix Schafer led a defense that allowed just nine goals in 14 games, along withBen Martino. Schafer broke the club record with a 0.55 goals against average (with five shutouts) and became the first Ocean City goalkeeper to be named theUSL League Two Golden Glove winner. The team's 0.64 goals against average was also a club record for a 14-game season. The Nor'easters would finish undefeated at home (6–0–1) for the fifth time in club history and undefeated on the road (5–0–2) for the fourth time. The team also broke the club record for road undefeated streak. The Storm's streak would finish the campaign at 15 and would carry that streak into 2023. The Nor'easters qualified for the playoffs for the second year in a row, but they would fall to theLong Island Rough Riders in the opening round, 3–1.

After Kevin Nuss accepted a coaching job withUSL League One'sUnion Omaha, Matt Perrella, his assistant from the 2019 and 2022 seasons, took over the head coaching job for 2023. Perrella made his Nor'easters head coaching debut in theLamar Hunt US Open Cup with a 3–1 road win over rival West Chester United in Round 1. In the Second Round, the Storm faced a professional team for the 15th time in club history. They would fall on the road to theMaryland Bobcats FC 3–2 as theNational Independent Soccer Association side scored a goal off a corner kick on the final kick of the game. Perrella would keep the team's unbeaten streak from last season going in 2023 as the team would not suffer a loss until the final game of the regular season toWest Chester United. That unbeaten streak would end at 28 games (a club record) and the road unbeaten streak would remain alive (at 21 games) heading into 2024. The 8–1–5 record was enough for Ocean City to win back-to-back division titles for the first time in club history. In the playoffs, they avenged last season's playoff loss by eliminating theLong Island Rough Riders 2–1 in the Eastern Quarterfinals. They followed that up with a 2–1 win over theHudson Valley Hammers. The playoff run would come to an end in the Eastern Conference Final (National Quarterfinals) with a 4–2 extra time loss toLionsbridge FC.

Adding to their success in the league, the Barons have also qualified for theU.S. Open Cup on five occasions. They made their first appearance in 2002, their final year as a professional franchise. That year, they defeatedVereinigung Erzgebirge of theUSASA 4–0 in the first round, but were eliminated in the next round 1–0 by theHampton Roads Mariners, who played in the level above the Barons, in the A-League (now called theUSL Championship).

In 2004, the year of their undefeated league season in the PDL, they began the tournament with a 5–0 thrashing of the USASA'sAllied SC, and once again met an A-League team in the second round. TheSyracuse Salty Dogs were the club, which featuredAnthony Maher, the older brother of the Barons’Matthew Maher. It was only the second time in the Modern Era (1995–present) of the Open Cup that two brothers played against each other in a Cup game.^[5] The original match seemed to be heading in the Barons’ direction in the 75th minute with the score tied at 1–1, and the Salty Dogs playing with nine men. Unfortunately for the underdogs, the referee abandoned the match at that point due to lightning and darkness. Six days later, the match was replayed, and despiteNeil Holloway giving the Barons a 1–0 lead in the 22nd minute, Syracuse was too strong, knocking the Barons out of the tournament by the score of 4–2.

The following year, the Barons made a return to the Cup and made their biggest impression in club history. They began as they had the previous two tournament appearances with a 3–0 shutout win over historic USASA club,New York Greek-American Atlas. The Barons would host their second round match against theLong Island Rough Riders of theUSL Second Division, and they used their home field advantage at Carey Stadium to thrash the Rough Riders 4–0.Ruben Mingo,Tony Donatelli,Chris Williams andSteven Wacker all scored in one of the second round's biggest upsets.

In the third round, the Barons were on the short end of a historical Open Cup match inRichmond, Virginia. Again, weather played a role, postponing the original game date, and a week later, the match was delayed by two hours. When the match was finally completed, the Barons had lost to theRichmond Kickers of theUSL First Division, 8–4. The Kickers answeredByron Carmichael’s opening goal, with four straight tallies in the first half. Just before halftime, Carmichael cut the lead to two, and just after the breakTony Donatelli’s goal made it 4–3 in the 54th minute. However, the home side was too strong, and with the Barons pushing for an equalizer, the Kickers opened the floodgates. 12 goals was the most total goals scored in an Open Cup match in Modern Era, which began in 1995. The four goals conceded by the Richmond Kickers was the most they had allowed in their Open Cup history.^[5]

After missing out on the tournament in 2006, the Barons returned to the Cup in 2007 and began at home with a 1–0 upset overCrystal Palace Baltimore of the USL Second Division. They hosted the second round as well and lost 2–1 to theHarrisburg City Islanders in one of the more exciting matches of the 2007 Open Cup. The Barons had three balls cleared off the line in the second half, but they weren't able to equalize.

2009 was a landmark season for the Barons in the Open Cup as they qualified for the Open Cup for the fourth time in the last six years. But the biggest highlight was the fact that Ocean City faced off with a club fromMajor League Soccer for the first time in franchise history. The Barons’ run in the tournament began with a shocking 3–0 home upset ofCrystal Palace Baltimore of the USL Second Division.Byron Carmichael was named TheCup.us Player of the Round after scoring a pair of first half goals andJ. T. Noone would put the nail in the coffin with a second half goal. The upsets at The Beach House continued in Round 2 when the Barons’Tunde Ogunbiyi shutout theReal Maryland Monarchs of the Second Division and Noone converted a penalty kick in the second period of overtime to put the Barons into the third round by a score of 1–0. With the win, Ocean City became only the sixth amateur team in the Open Cup's modern history to register back-to-back wins over professional teams. Ogunbiyi remains one of three goalkeepers (Jesse Llamas, Derby Carillo) in the Modern Era to earn multiple shutout wins for an amateur team against professional teams in one tournament.

In Round 3, the Barons would put a scare intoD.C. United but would fall 2–0 to the defending Open Cup champs on a wet night at theMaryland SoccerPlex inGermantown, Maryland.

After not qualifying for the U.S. Open Cup tournament from 2010 to 2012, the Ocean City returned to Cup action in 2013 defeating theNew York Red Bull U-23's in the First Round at Carey Stadium 2–0.^[6] In the 2013 2nd Round they defeatedUSL Pro side thePittsburgh Riverhounds 1–0 at Carey Stadium marking the team's fifth win over a professional team. However, they were beaten by thePhiladelphia Union of MLS in the next round by the score of 2–1, after the Union scored a goal in second half stoppage time.^[7]

In 2017, the Nor'easters hosted Junior Lone Star FC of the Philadelphia Premier Soccer League in the opening round. After a 3–1 win, they advance to Round 2 where they hosted theHarrisburg City Islanders in a rematch of the2007 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. After 120 minutes of scoreless soccer, Harrisburg won the penalty kick shootout 6–5. For Ocean City, it was the sixth shutout of a professional team, more than any amateur team in the Modern Era.

In 2018, the Nor'easters had to play all of their games on the road, starting with a 3–0 win inYpsilanti, Michigan overNPSL powerAFC Ann Arbor. Next, they traveled to North Carolina to take on theCharlotte Independence of theUSL and they won the game 3–1 to earn their sixth win over a professional team in the competition. It was the first time they had upset a professional team away from home and it was the first time they did so while allowing a goal (the previous five were all shutouts). They would return to North Carolina where their US Open Cup run would come to an end with a 4–1 loss toNorth Carolina FC of theUSL.

As aUSL League Two team in the Lamar HuntU.S. Open Cup, Ocean City have six wins with five of them being upsets of professional clubs. Only two amateur teams have more wins and upsets in the tournament (Michigan Bucks andDes Moines Menace)

As of July 28, 2023.^[8]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  GER Felix Schafer 2 DF  USA Galen Flynn 3 DF  USA Brad Dildy 4 DF  USA Bryce Meredith 5 DF  GER Jan Riecke 6 MF  JAM Tyrese Small 7 MF  ITA Leonardo D'Ambrosio 8 MF  NOR Sander Roed 9 FW  USA Jack Sarkos 10 FW  ITA Alessandro Arlotti 11 FW  ENG Jamie Davis 12 DF  BRA Joao de Oliveira 13 DF  USA Shane Clancy 14 MF  JAM Tajhay Williams 15 MF  USA Nico Rubio 16 FW  USA Colin Veltri 17 FW  USA Daniel Russo 18 FW  ITA Daniele Verdirosi 19 MF  USA Nick Pariano

No. Pos. Nation Player 20 FW  USA Andrew Kitch 21 FW  USA Ryan Becher 22 MF  JPN Maruki Kawahara 23 DF  USA Josh Jones 28 DF  ITA Marco Torino 29 DF  USA Yousif Kowa 33 GK  USA Owen Moore 66 GK  ITA Stefano Camerlengo 99 GK  USA Brady Hochman — MF  USA Kyle Galloway — MF  BRA Andre "Dede" Sabino — GK  AUT Sebastian Doppelhofer — DF  USA Shaun Russell — DF  USA Dylan Evande — FW  USA Ryan Peterson — DF  USA Raimondo Partito — DF  ZIM Simbarashe Mazarura — DF  ZIM Tapiwa Machingauta

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.^[9]

• 2023 USL League Two Mid-Atlantic Division Champions
• 2022 USL League Two Mid-Atlantic Division Champions
• 2024 USL League Two Mid-Atlantic Division Champions
• 2016 USL PDL Eastern Conference Champions
• 2013 USL PDL Eastern Conference Champions
• 2013 USL PDL Mid-Atlantic Division Champions
• 2012 USL PDL Mid-Atlantic Division Champions
• 2004 USL PDL Northeast Division Champions
• 1999 USISL D-3 Pro League Regular Season Champions
• 1999 USISL D-3 Pro League Northern Division Champions
• 1998 USISL D-3 Pro League Mid Atlantic Division Champions

• 2008 USL PDL Organization of the Year
• 2007 USL PDL Communications Award
• 2007 USL PDL Executive of the Year (Neil Holloway)
• 2006 USL Hall of Fame Inductee ("10+ club")
• 2005 USL Progress Award

• Matt Driver (1997–5/3/2002) Record: 53–38–2^[2]
• Sam Maira (5/11/2002–2003) Record: 16–16–3^[2]
• Dan Christian (2004) Record: 14–0–4^[2]
• Mike Pellegrino (2007–2008) Record: 15–8–9^[2]
• Neil Holloway (2005–2006, 2009–2011) Record: 32–17–15^[2]
• Tim Oswald (2012–2016) Record: 47–19–6^[2]
• John Thompson (2017–2018) Record: 18–9–1^[2]
• Kevin Nuss (2019) Record: 6–3–5^[2]
• Alan McCann (2021) Record: 9–2–3^[10]
• Kevin Nuss (2022) Record: 17–3–8^[2][11]
• Matt Perrella (2023) Record: 8–1–5

Source:^[12]

Carey Stadium ("The Beach House") inOcean City, New Jersey has been the primary home for the Ocean City Nor'easters for the majority of the club's history with the exception of the 2001, 2003 and 2004 seasons. In 2002, the season was split between Carey Stadium and Community Park at Rutgers-Camden University in Newark, NJ. Since 2005, when the club made its permanent home at Carey Stadium, the Nor'easters have had to play eight games at the nearby Tennessee Avenue Soccer Complex inOcean City, New Jersey due to scheduling conflicts and when the turf atCarey Stadium was being replaced.

Located a little more than 200 meters from the Atlantic Ocean, only one minor league sports team in the country plays closer to an ocean than the Nor'easters do (Minor league baseball teamPensacola Blue Wahoos inPensacola, Florida)^[13]

1997
Carey Stadium;Ocean City, New Jersey^[1]
Eastern Regional High School ; Voorhees, NJ (1 game)

1998
Carey Stadium;Ocean City, New Jersey^[1]
Eastern Regional High School ; Voorhees, NJ (4 games)

1999
Carey Stadium;Ocean City, New Jersey^[1]
Edgewood Regional High School;Tansboro, New Jersey (3 games)
Carl Lewis Stadium;Willingboro Township, New Jersey (1 game)

2000
Carey Stadium;Ocean City, New Jersey^[1]
Edgewood Regional High School;Tansboro, New Jersey (2 games)
Lenape High School;Medford, New Jersey (1 game)

2001
Cherokee High School;Marlton, New Jersey
Carey Stadium;Ocean City, New Jersey^[1] (3 games)

2002
Rutgers-Camden Community Park;Camden, New Jersey (5 games)
Carey Stadium;Ocean City, New Jersey^[1] (5 games)

2003
Stadium atMercer County Community College;West Windsor, New Jersey

2004
Winslow Stadium;Winslow, New Jersey (2004)

2005–present
Carey Stadium;Ocean City, New Jersey^[1]

• Official website
• Nor'easters All-Time Results
• Ocean City Nor'easters USL2 Team Records
• Ocean City Nor'easters USL2 Individual Records
• Ocean City Nor'easters Year-By-Year Individual Stats^{[dead link]}
• Ocean City Nor'easters All-Time Goalkeeper Stats
• Ocean City Nor'easters USL2 career stat leaders

• Association football clubs established in 1996
• USL League Two teams
• Soccer clubs in New Jersey
• USL Second Division teams
• 1996 establishments in New Jersey
• Ocean City, New Jersey

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