On Mar. 6th in Sandy, Utah, the United Soccer League expansion side, Real Monarchs announced the official signing of Nor’easters alum, Leon Brown to his first professional contract. The Monarchs released their inaugural roster for their debut season last Friday which featured the Notre Dame product.

Brown appeared in 84 games during his career at Notre Dame

Ocean City, NJ - On Mar. 6th in Sandy, Utah, the United Soccer League expansion side, Real Monarchs announced the official signing of Nor’easters alum, Leon Brown to his first professional contract. The Monarchs released their inaugural roster for their debut season last Friday which featured the Notre Dame product.

“Signing for the Real Monarchs is a great opportunity for me,” said Brown. “Being able to play professionally in a sport you've been playing your whole life is something that I'm proud of and I just really want to make the most out of it. The Monarchs are a new team but it will be exciting to start playing games and see what we can do in our first year in the USL.”

Brown gathered two goals off six games in his one season with the Nor’easters. After traveling to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe with the Notre Men’s Soccer team in the early portion of the 2014 summer, Brown joined the Nor’easters in late June and immediately made an impact. In his debut at Carey Stadium, Brown found himself scoring an emphatic header to equalize for the Nor’easters against the Northern Virginia Royals. The Nor’easters went down in the 72nd minute from a penalty kick only to be brought back to life in the 78th minute by Brown’s timely finish. This would surge “The Storm” forward to an eventual 3-1 triumph at home.

Five days later marked Brown’s next contribution for the Nor’easters. Brown would put away yet another equalizer, this time against Mid-Atlantic Division rivals, Jersey Express. The Express went up just after 14 minutes of play but right before the stroke of half time Brown pulled one back for the Nor’easters. Brown’s finish wasn’t enough this time as the title defenders would fall to the eventual Eastern Conference Champions.

“Playing in Ocean City last summer was a good experience for me even though I couldn’t be there the whole season,” said Brown. “The competition in the PDL was good and being able to play in games during the offseason was beneficial. Being right by the beach wasn't a bad thing either.”

Brown beat current Freiburg SC goalkeeper, Zach Steffen to equalize against Maryland in the 2013 NCAA College Cup

Before heading to the Shore, Brown had a season to remember with the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. Brown notched career high stats in his red-shirt senior year with 13 points from five goals and three assists. But that wasn’t even the most impressive part of Brown’s season. In the College Cup final, Brown came in trailing by one to the Maryland Terrapins following an injury for Notre Dame. Brown cut through the Terps backline allowing for service into the box. After managing to turn his defender, Brown calmly slotted the Maryland keeper to equalize for Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish would go on to win 2-1 for their first ever NCAA College Cup Championship.

“Leon had a knack for finding ways to finish with precision in the final third and was able to unbalance teams in transition due to his high soccer IQ and subtle movements searching for the final pass,” said Ocean City Head Coach Tim Oswald. “He is a classic hardworking kid who was simple in his play, quietly confident and a great teammate to his peers. We wish him the best at Real as he embarks on his pro career.”

As a 5th year senior, Brown would come into his own, becoming one of five Fighting Irish to start every game for Notre Dame. Along with his consistency in the lineup, Brown raised his goal tally from the previous year, finishing second on the team in scoring with seven goals and one assist behind ACC Offensive Player of the Year, Patrick Hodan. Brown’s most influential goal of the

Brown and his Notre Dame teammates on their 2014 trip to Zimbabwe

2014 season came in an ACC Conference Tournament Quarterfinal match up with the eventual National Champion Virginia Cavaliers. Brown netted early on for the Fighting Irish and would lead Notre Dame to a convincing 3-0 victory.

Brown and the Monarchs open up their first ever season as they travel to the Stubhub Track and Field Center in Carson, California on Sunday, Mar. 22nd at 5 p.m. The Real Monarchs will kick off their home schedule on April 8th at 8 p.m. against Portland Timbers II in Rio Tinto Stadium. Rio Tinto Stadium is also the home of their Major League Soccer affiliates, Real Salt Lake.

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 "LEON" 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-newletter.