Ocean City Nor'easters Part Of Major American Soccer Rebranding

OCEAN CITY, NJ — The Ocean City Nor’easters men’s soccer club is part of the major rebranding of professional soccer in the United States. The Nor’easters are now members of USL League Two, formerly the Premier Development League, the team announced this week.

It is part of the restructuring of the United Soccer League (USL) ahead of the 2019 season. The restructuring sets the USL up in a way similar to that of the English Football League, with three divisions of teams that each have their own identity.

USL League Two is the established developmental platform for U-23 and collegiate players, fans and communities.

“Maintaining its heritage with a bold, red logo, League Two will continue to forge the game’s future, delivering the first taste of premier competition in an authentic national soccer environment with a hyper-local focus,” the league said in its announcement. “It is the gateway to stardom for those who prove they belong and have the desire to advance into the professional ranks, providing more than 70 percent of players selected in the MLS SuperDraft over the past eight years.”

USL League One delivers professional soccer to communities without a team, offering the first chance for new fans to dance and sing for 90 minutes, to fall more in love with the game every single week. League One also provides the opportunity and the first step in the professional ranks for players and coaches yearning to climb and pursue their dreams.

USL Championship is the pinnacle of the competition. According to the league, it is one of the most successful professional soccer leagues in the world, reaching a population of more than 84 million across more than 35 markets in 2019, and fueling the growth of the game across North America. At its core, the Championship is community. It’s the commitment of passionate and financially secure owners and talented players to embrace their hometowns, to create opportunity and to grow together through the beautiful game.

The league is pushing the rebranding as “one central brand, three leagues,” similar to the English Football League, which has the Premier League, Championship League One and Championship League Two. It says it is pushing the game forward in North America.

It will implement a cup competition involving USL Championship and USL League One, similar to the English Football League’s Carabao Cup, according to ESPN. That competition begins in 2020.

However, USL President Jake Edwards told the sports news network it won’t immediately implement a system of promotion-relegation. The league is focused on building USL League One first before it considers that next step, one that has long been discussed in the American professional soccer world.

Ocean City players have a path to the pros currently, as the Nor'easters entered into a developmental partnership with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds last year. The Riverhounds, now in the USL Championship, are the development team for the Columbus Crew, of Major League Soccer.

Image via Shutterstock