After an undefeated regular season in 2022, the Ocean City Nor'easters have their eye on a USL League Two championship in 2023. To accomplish that, the club will host an open tryout in an effort to start building the roster for next season.

The tryout will take place in Sicklerville, N.J. at Gloucester Township Park on Jan. 7 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The cost to attend is $65.

"Tryouts are a valuable resource to provide players a pathway to our first team and beyond," said Nor'easters head coach Kevin Nuss, who was a 2022 USL-2 Coach of the Year finalist. "I am excited to see the talent in attendance and to find some undiscovered players.

The Nor'easters will not only be seeking to fill the last few roster spots on the senior team, but the club is also continuing to build strong reserve teams. Ocean City's Reserve team and Under-23 team gives young players a chance to be exposed to a high level of play and a professionalized setting throughout the summer as they get valuable experience to take back with them to their college and high school teams.

There will also be the opportunity to join the team before the season starts to be a part of the club's roster that will compete in the 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The 108th edition of the single-elimination tournament is expected to begin in March. The U.S. Open Cup is similar to England's FA Cup where teams from every level of American soccer compete for this country's national championship.

“The Open Cup is a huge piece of the club's history and we look forward to adding another chapter in 2023," said Nuss. "Due to the timing of the tournament, we are looking for players to join us prior to the USL-2 season.”

The Nor'easters have upset six professional teams in the U.S. Open Cup. Only two amateur teams in the Modern Era (1995-present) of the tournament have more pro team upsets (Flint City Bucks, Des Moines Menace). Ocean City's 11 tournament wins are also the 3rd most of any amateur club during that span.

Players who are interested in playing on the team's US Open Cup roster will be registered to the USL-2 senior roster and will be available for league matches. Players with remaining NCAA eligibility are not eligible for the Open Cup roster.



The Nor'easters will play in their 26th season as a club (20th as a member of USL League Two) in 2023. Out of the more than 100 teams in North America, the Nor'easters have the fourth-best record in USL League Two since 2003, and the fifth-most wins in the history of the league. The Storm also play at one of the best home venues in the country, Carey Stadium. It is nicknamed "The Beach House" because it's located right off the boardwalk, next to the beach, and just a few hundred yards away from the Atlantic Ocean at America's Greatest Family Resort: Ocean City, N.J. The Nor'easters also perform well in front of their fans, owning the fourth-best home record of any team in the league since 2003.

After finishing the 2022 regular season undefeated (11-0-3) and winning the Mid-Atlantic Division title, Ocean City is hoping to build on that performance and challenge for a league title in 2023.

The Nor'easters not only have a strong tradition of team accomplishments, but also with individual players. Since 2003, more than 100 Ocean City players have moved on to play the game professionally in more than 20 countries from around the world. There have been 28 players drafted by Major League Soccer teams, including 2019 USL League Two MVP Deri Corfe. Corfe became the third Nor'easters player to team history to win the league's MVP award. Ocean City is one of only two teams in league history to have three MVP winners. In January, the Storm's 2021 Offensive Player of the Year, Simon Becher was selected in the First Round (16th overall) by the Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Ocean City's 2018 Young Player of the Year, goalkeeper Alec Smir was taken in the Third Round by FC Dallas. The accomplishments continued in 2022 as Felix Schafer won the USL League Two Golden Glove award as the league's top goalkeeper.

Under head coach Kevin Nuss, who has been responsible for recruiting dozens of those future pros during his previous seasons with the Nor'easters, the club is looking to assemble a talented roster with some of the top players from the region and around the country. A strong performance in the 2023 league season could also lead to a berth in the 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, a national tournament where Ocean City has upset six professional teams in club history.

Players who are interested in trying out should fill out the online form HERE. For any additional questions, please contact the Ocean City Nor'easters team office at (609) 432-8371, or send an email to tryout@oceancityfc.com.

Check back to the Ocean City Nor'easters official website and social media accounts (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) for updates.

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Founded in 1997, the Nor'easters joined USL League Two (then known as the Premier Development League) in 2003, and since then have seen more than 100 players move on to play the game professionally, including Tyler Miller of D.C. United, John McCarthy of LAFC, Simon Becher of Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Brendan Hines-Ike of D.C. United and Tony Donatelli of the Baltimore Blast. You can see a comprehensive list of #OCN alums currently playing professionally here.