Related Links

Noreasters Midfield in Strong Hands with International Flavor

Ocean City Looks to Continue Success in the Middle Third

May 20th, 2015
By: Eric Klenofsky
Nicolas Perea, Timi Mulgrew, Steven Miller, Jason Plumhoff & Ken Tribbett (Left to Right)

Five Ocean City Alumni midfielders have been signed to professional contracts in 2015.

Nicolas Perea got the ball rolling in late April as he signed for the Jacksonville Armada of the North American Soccer League. Perea was followed by New England Revolution signee, Timi Mulgrew along with Steve Miller, now of the Tulsa Roughnecks in the United Soccer League.

Jason Plumhoff and Ken Tribbett were the last of the signings, both inking deals with the Harrisburg City Islanders of the USL and have immediately left their mark on the club. Plumhoff secured the number ten jersey while Tribbett has made a habit out of finding the back of the net.

While more and more Nor’easters move on to the professional game, the next generation of Ocean City midfielders is waiting in the wings as the 2015 PDL season approaches.

“I think the array of midfielders that we landed in this summer’s class will allow us to be extremely versatile and dynamic in the middle third,” said Ocean City Head Coach Tim Oswald. Several have had success at the collegiate, national team and international levels and they are quite complementary to our back four and front three.”

Rickardo Oldham of Northern Oklahoma College, Marc Greenblatt of Northeastern University, Seiji Rose of Philadelphia University, Victor Araujo of Trinity University, Pau Delgado Rodriguez and Jorge Guinovart both from the University of Rio Grande and Aitor Unzue from C.E. Sabadell of Spain make up this seasons class of Ocean City midfielders.

Pau Delgado Rodriguez (Left) & Jorge Guinovart (Right)

The Catalonia contingent of Delgado Rodriguez and Guinovart join the Nor’easters by way of Barcelona, Spain. Delgado Rodriguez and Guinovart featured for UD Cornella before crossing the pond for the University of Rio Grande of the NAIA.

“We have a lot of players of high quality and a lot of intensity in the practices, I like it so far,” said Delgado Rodriguez. “I describe myself as an offensive midfielder, I like to make runs off the striker and I’m looking to score goals here.”

In his two years with Rio Grande, Delgado Rodriguez gathered 31 goals and 13 assists in 42 games played. Freshman year saw Delgado Rodriguez allot 17 goals and 7 assists while his sophomore season concluded with 14 goals and six assists to add to his resume. The young Catalonian was named a NAIA First Team All-American as a sophomore.

Aitor Unzue

In Guinovart’s first season in the states, the central midfielder notched three goals and four assists in 18 games played for Rio Grande.

Aitor Unzue, son of F.C. Barcelona first team assistant, Juan Carlos Unzue, suited up previously for C.E. Sabadell B before becoming a Nor’easter. The first team of C.E. Sabadell currently plays in the second division of Spain, aptly named the Segunda division.

“I like to keep the possession, I want to play always with the ball but I can get used to any style,” said Unzue. “If I have to play more physical, I will, if I have to play more in the air, I will. But I prefer to keep the ball with short passes and long passes.”

Native of Brax, France, Seiji Rose, will also play a role in the Nor’easters midfield this summer. After redshirting his freshman year at Philadelphia University, Rose started all 21 games for the Rams as a sophomore, collecting five goals and three assists this past season.

Seiji Rose, Victor Araujo & Rickardo Oldham (Left to Right)

Brazilian midfielder Victor Araujo comes to the Nor’easters by way of Trinity University. In Araujo’s two seasons at Trinity, the attacking central midfielder gathered 20 goals and 18 assists in 43 games played. Araujo spent time with E.C. Vitoria of Brazil before moving state side.

The last of the international midfielders is Rickardo Oldham of Jamaica. Oldham started all 15 games for Northern Oklahoma as a sophomore notching six goals and six assists in the process.

“Ocean City is one level up,” said Oldham. ‘Everyone is playing for the game, at school everyone would get a chance to play, but here, everyone is working to get to the next level, everyone is playing to win and as a team we are working hard.”

Marc Greenblatt

The lone American midfielder for Ocean City this summer is Northeastern sophomore, Marc Greenblatt. Greenblatt rounds out the class of midfielders for the Nor’easters and comes to South Jersey following a strong second season for the Huskies. The Winchester, Massachusetts native has made an appearance in every single match for Northeastern which included 14 starts in his sophomore year.

“The creativity and the ideas are there and we are working through blending that this week as we lead up to the opener against D.C. United,” said Coach Oswald.

2015 Individual Match and Season ticket packages are on sale now. For more information, call (609) 432-8271 to speak with a Nor'easters ticket representative, email us at tickets@oceancityfc.com, or visit www.oceancityfc.com/tickets for ticket package information.

Text "MIDFIELDERS" to (609) 432-8271 to receive an exclusive promo code, for ticket purchases made online via www.oceancityfc.com/tickets.

For more information on the Ocean City Nor'easters or to "Follow the Storm", check us out at www.oceancityfc.com/followthestorm or text "FOLLOWTHESTORM" to 22828 to join the "Storm Watch" e-newsletter.

Store Banner

Store Banner