Ocean City, NJ - The Ocean City Nor’easters have seen over 120 former players go on to reach the professional level. As the leading path to pro in South Jersey, Ocean City prides itself on the success of their alumni.

2024 saw many former Storm players achieve individual and team-wide successes. 6 Nor'easter alumni signed their first pro contracts. Storm alumni won a trophy in every level of the US Soccer pyramid, from MLS to USL-League One. There are Nor’easters playing for professional teams across the world from North America to Europe, and even as far away as Indonesia. Ocean City alumni represented their national teams in the Nations League, World Cup Qualifying, and at the Copa América. 

This is the final part of the article series tracking active Nor’easter Alumni. Parts 1 - 4 can be found here:

2024 Ocean City Alumni Recap

2024 Ocean City Alumni Recap Part 2

2024 Ocean City Alumni Recap Part 3

2024 Ocean City Alumni Recap Part 4 

Read on to see how the final group of pros did in 2024!

Jeorgio Kocevski (Syracuse University/Liverpool, NY) followed a career best senior season in the NCAA with a 1st Round selection in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft. Shortly after, he signed his first professional contract with Orlando City SC. Kocevski went on to make his professional debut for Orlando on March 17th, 2024 as a substitute versus Atlanta United. He totaled 11 games played in MLS, and made his first start against the Columbus Crew on September 21st. He also appeared in the Leagues Cup fixture against San Luis, where the Lions won via Penalty Shootout. Additionally, Kocevski logged 4 games for Orlando City B in MLS Next Pro, notching 2 assists. Kocevski is currently a free agent after parting ways with Orlando following the 2024 season. He was a member of the 2022 Ocean City squad, scoring 1 goal in 5 appearances to help the Storm win the Mid-Atlantic Division. 

Yannik Oettl (Univ. Central Florida/Munich, Germany) completed his second season with Indy Eleven, helping the club reach the postseason for the second consecutive year. Oettl totaled 9 appearances for The Boys in Blue. He made 8 starts in the USL-Championship, earning 2 wins. He also started in Indy’s 3rd Round USOC match, keeping a clean sheet in the 1-0 win over Chicago Fire FC II. Indy Eleven qualified to the playoffs, and Oettl operated as the backup as they fell to eventual finalists Rhode Island FC 3-2. Following the 2024 season, Oettl and Indy parted ways, and he is now a free agent. Oettl played in 3 games for the Nor’easters in 2021, keeping one clean sheet. 

Tyler Miller (Northwestern University/Woodbury, NJ) finished his 11th season as a professional, and 10th in Major League Soccer. Miller played 5 games in 2024 which brings his MLS career total to 135. Miller was heavily linked to a loan deal with Swansea in the EFL Championship, but it ultimately fell through. At the end of the 2024 season, Miller’s contract expired. He remains a free agent, albeit one with more than a decade of professional experience including winning MLS Cup in 2016, Supporter’s Shield in 2019 and an MLS All-Star selection in 2023. Previously, Miller was part of the 2012 Ocean City squad that won the Mid-Atlantic Division. Miller made 3 appearances for the Storm that season, and was credited with 2 wins and no losses.

Alex Andersson (Univ. Colorado Colorado Springs/Helsingborg, Sweden) completed a rare achievement: winning a title in his first professional season. Andersson signed with the Colorado Springs Switchbacks following a standout 4 years in Division II at UCCS. The Swedish attacker finished with 25 goals and 9 assists across 47 games with the Mountain Lions. Andersson made 11 appearances in his debut professional campaign. 10 came in the USL Championship with an additional substitute cameo in Colorado’s 4th Round US Open Cup loss versus NYCFC II. With the Switchbacks, Andersson joined fellow Nor’easter alums Markhus ‘Duke’ Lacroix and former head coach Alan McCann. Andersson became the 8th OC alum to win a trophy in 2024. He previously made 5 appearances with the Storm, scoring 1 goal in the Nor’easters 2021 USL-2 season.

Gustavo Fernandes (Iowa Western CC/Stony Brook Univ./West Babylon, NY) continued his career in USL-League One after signing with the Chatanooga Red Wolves. Following a key role in helping North Carolina FC win the 2023 League One Championship, Fernandes was sought after by the Red Wolves. He was a day one starter and went on to log 21 more starts in all competitions, totaling 1,533 minutes with Chatanooga, notching one assist. Although the Red Wolves did not qualify for the playoffs, Fernandes will likely remain a key piece of the defense as the team looks to bouce back in 2025. Fernandes made 12 appearances with the Storm back in 2019, and grabbed an assist across 898 minutes, helping Ocean City to a 2nd place divisional finish.

Nick Spielman (Lincoln Memorial Univ./East Tennessee State Univ./Melbourne, FL) was a key part of Charlotte Independence’s qualification to the USL-League One playoffs. Spielman recorded 34 appearances in all competitions for a total of 3,101 minutes. He started every league game, going the full 90 in all but one of the 22 matches. Spielman played in 4 US Open Cup games, and again was on the field for every minute of those games, including two that went to penalty shootouts after extra time. He reached the 4th Round of the US Open Cup, where the Independence were defeated by Atlanta United 3-0. Additionally, he appeared in 8 USL-Cup games, reaching the Semi-Finals of the competition. Ultimately, Spielman and Charlotte finished 6th in the USL-1 table, qualifying to the playoffs. Spielman played all 90 minutes in the Quarter-Finals as Charlotte lost 2-0 to Forward Madison. Spielman was a member of the 2017 Ocean City squad, and logged 10 appearances as the Storm finished 3rd in the Mid-Atlantic Division.    

This is the last part of the 2024 Ocean City Alumni recap, check out the previous parts to get caught up on what the rest of the Storm players achieved in 2024!

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