Ocean City Nor'easters Open Soccer Season May 13

OCEAN CITY, NJ — The Ocean City Nor’easters men’s soccer team will open its 22nd season of competition on Sunday, May 13, when they visit FA Euro New York, the team announced this week. The game will kick off at 6:30 p.m. at the Aviator Sports Complex in Brooklyn. The season opener was originally scheduled for May 12, but has been rescheduled.

The 2018 home opener is Sunday, June 3, when long-time rival Long Island Rough Riders visit Carey Stadium ("The Beach House").

Kickoffs for all home games at Carey Stadium are scheduled for 7 p.m. All the Nor'easters home games will be played at Carey Stadium, also known as "The Beach House" in Ocean City. Since 2003, the Nor'easters have the fifth-best home record of any team in their league with a 71-24-23 mark.

Ocean City has spent 16 seasons as a member of the Premier Development League (PDL) and will participate in the Mid-Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference for the eighth year in a row. The league consists of 74 teams across North America, split into 11 divisions.

Mid-Atlantic Division teams play 14 regular season games. The Nor'easters will face the Rough Riders, FA Euro New York, and defending Mid-Atlantic Division champion New York Red Bulls U23s in home and away matches and will play three games each against Lehigh Valley United (1 home, 2 away) and long-time rival Reading United AC (2 home, 1 away).

John Thompson enters his second year as Nor’easters head coach. Thompson took over last year for Tim Oswald who finished his five-year run as the winningest coach in the club's PDL history. Oswald has since moved to the club's front office where he is the Director of Soccer. Thompson played for the club from 2002-06 and was a two-time All-League selection and was named the 2004 PDL Defender of the Year.

In his first season, Thompson lead the Nor’easters to a better record than it had the previous season, when it won the Eastern Conference title. However, due to a change in playoff format, the Nor'easters fell just short of qualifying for the postseason with a 9-4-1 record and an unbeaten record at home (6-0-1).

"We are excited about the 2018 PDL season and look forward to having another winning year," Nor'easters general manager Giancarlo Granese Jr. said in a release issued by the Nor’easters. "Last year, we finished with nine wins but came up short of reaching the playoffs. This year we are looking to take it to the next level and return to the playoffs and win the club's first PDL championship. We are really looking forward to getting the season going and filling the Beach House with all our crazy fans."

Despite missing the playoffs, the Nor’easters continued to build on their resume that ranks them about the best PDL teams in North America. Since joining the PDL in 2003, the Nor'easters are 130-60-44, which is the sixth-best record in the league. Ocean City's 130 wins ranks 8th in PDL history, which dates back to 1995. They hope to continue that trend this season.

"Our division looks to be very competitive once again with the addition of the Long Island Rough Riders, who, like ourselves, have a long tradition in the USL and the PDL," Thompson said. "Every club in the Mid-Atlantic Division attracts quality players and we all have excellent home facilities, making it one of the top divisions in the PDL."

Click here for the full schedule and a profile of every 2018 opponent.

Patch file photo