The Ocean City Nor'easters had a memorable 2022 USL League Two season. The club celebrated its 25th season with an undefeated regular season, a Mid-Atlantic Division championship and a trip to the playoffs.

2022 Ocean City Nor'easters Team Awards

MVP: Alessandro Arlotti Offensive POY: Alessandro Arlotti Defensive POY: Felix Schäfer Creative POY: Galen Flynn Breakthrough POY: Taha Kina Young POY: Roman Holt Nor’easter Award: Nick Pariano 2022 Results / Match Reports 2022 Roster Nor'easters In The Pros Nor'easters Team Store Nor'easters on Instagram Nor'easters on Twitter Nor'easters on Facebook Nor'easters YouTube channel Subscribe to the OCN Newsletter

It was a total team effort, which made it extremely difficult for Kevin Nuss and the coaching staff to choose team award winners.

This is the 16th season where the Nor'easters have given out team awards, a tradition that began in 2006 when Jeremy Ortiz (La Salle) was named the team's MVP.

The main theme of the 2022 season was defense with the club setting a number of records for goals against average and goals allowed. The success of the team was also marked by clutch performances and timely goals against qualify opposition.

The Most Valuable Player for the Nor'easters in 2022 was also the Offensive Player of the Year. Alessandro Arlotti was the team's top scorer, but also was among the league leaders in game-winning plays. Defensive Player of the Year went to goalkeeper Felix Schafer who broke the club record for goals against average. Defender Galen Flynn was named the team's Creative Player of the Year, while defender Taha Kina is the Breakthrough Player of the Year. The team's youngest defender Roman Holt was named the Young Player of the Year and Nick Pariano, a strong candidate for team MVP, was named the Nor'easter Award winner.





 

 

In his first season in Ocean City, Alessandro Arlotti (Harvard / San Remo, Italy) made quite a first impression on Nor'easters fans in 2022. He became the first player in club history to score a goal in each of the first three games of the season. He would finish as the team leader in goals (8), assists (6), and minutes played (1,244). Arlotti was involved in 14 of the club's 28 goals either as the goalscorer or the assist man. The most impressive stat was the seven game-winning plays, which ranked among the league leaders. He scored four game-winning goals and dished out three game-winning assists on the season. Arlotti also won the league's Goal of the Week award for the final week of the season for his incredible volley against the Philadelphia Lone Star in the season finale. As the Offensive Player of the Year, it was a relatively easy choice, however, midfielder Nick Pariano and USL-2 Golden Glove winner Felix Schafer received strong consideration for MVP.

Kevin Nuss on Alessandro Arlotti: “'Ale' was huge for us. He came through with the big goal or assist when we needed him again and again”


One of the most consistent traditions over the last 25 seasons with the Ocean City Nor'easters is the talented goalkeepers who have played at the Beach House. With all the future pros who have started in goal for Ocean City, Felix Schafer (Santa Clara / Berlin, Germany) did something none of them have ever done. He was named the USL League Two Golden Glove winner as the top goalkeeper in the league. The award is based on statistics like goals allowed and save percentage. It was a historic year for Schafer who broke the club record for goals against average with a 0.55. He just barely edged out Pat Hannigan’s 2004 mark of 0.56. Schafer was a big reason why the Nor’easters finished with the club’s first undefeated regular season since 2004. He finished the regular season with a 10-0-2 record and five clean sheets, which is one shy of the club record set in 2007 (Adam Edwards). He helped Ocean City close out the unbeaten regular season strong with four straight clean sheets (3-0-1), finishing the season with a 409-minute personal scoreless streak, which is approaching the club's regular season record. Schafer was also a finalist for the USL-2 Player of the Year. He won the fan vote, but would fall short in the overall voting.

Kevin Nuss on Felix Schafer: “We knew Felix was a top goalkeeper when we signed him but he really impressed this summer.”



Galen Flynn (Fordham / West Hartford, CT) was a big part of the Nor'easters' record-breaking defense in 2022. Statistics don't always tell the full story in the game of soccer, as Flynn played a big role in creating goalscoring opportunities and played good defense all season long. As a result, the Fordham University product was named Ocean City's Creative Player of the Year. Flynn was one of five players on the roster to play every game for the Nor'easters, and finished third on the team in minutes played (1,198). He scored a goal and added two assists, with two of those three scoring plays leading to game-winners. Flynn scored the game-winning goal on June 11 in a 3-1 road win over Lehigh Valley United. He also added a game-winning assist on May 27 in a 2-1 home win over the Philadelphia Lone Star FC.

Kevin Nuss on Galen Flynn: “He is a very dynamic attacking player, as well as an excellent defender. Galen’s ability to play in possession and on the counter gave us options in how we wanted to attack.”



With very few returning players from the year before, it was hard to know what the starting lineup would look like, especially on the Nor'easters' backline. By the fourth game of the season, Taha Kina (Brown Univ. / Maynard, MA) would earn a starting job and never let it go. The Brown University defender would start the remaining nine games that he played in, and then played all 90 minutes in the team's playoff game against Long Island. In all, he was one of two defensive players who played in double digit games (12). He was a crucial part of a defense that broke the club record for fewest goals allowed (9) and goals against average (0.64).

Kevin Nuss on Taha Kina: “We had big expectations for Taha but he managed to exceed those expectations. His ability and consistency, day-in and day-out, was unbelievable.“


There were just three teenagers on the Nor'easters' 2022 roster, and the youngest of the three was 17-year-old Roman Holt (San Antonio FC youth academy / San Antonio, TX). The San Antonio FC (USL Championship) youth academy product joined Ocean City for the 2022 season to earn additional playing time and training with the senior team. Holt played in three league games, starting one and coming off the bench in the other two. All three games were victories.

Kevin Nuss on Roman Holt: “Roman is matured well beyond his years, on and off the field. You will be hearing a lot about him over the next couple years. Hopefully a couple more years in an Ocean City jersey.”

MORE: Roman Holt comes to Ocean City seeking boost to budding pro career



Nick Pariano (Duke / Philadelphia, PA) was one of the most consistent players for the Nor'easters in 2022. The midfielder was one of five players who played in every game, and he played nearly every minute of the season. Pariano scored two goals and added three assists. While he was a strong candidate for the team MVP award, his commitment to the club and the city are what set him apart for the award. His hard work during games is matched by his hard work in training. Not to mention bringing energy while working with kids in the Nor'easters Summer Vacation Camps. His passion and commitment for the game earned him the nickname "Mr. Ocean City" from the technical staff.

Kevin Nuss on Nick Pariano: "Nicky is special. I haven’t been lucky enough to coach many players like him. He is clearly an excellent player that is consistent and calm under pressure but his intelligence on the field is next level. More important that being a top player, he plays with passion and is a great representative of what Ocean City is.”