The Ocean City Nor'easters have added two talented coaches to their technical staff ahead of the upcoming 2021 USL League Two season. Matt Iles will be the club's new Performance Coach while Matt Kane will serve as the Team Analyst under first-year head coach Alan McCann. Iles will also be the head coach of the Nor'easters Under-23 team.

Graphic by Leonardo Cattari | Catta Design | @catta_dsgn (IG)

The Nor'easters first team, which will open the club's 24th season in May, along with the reserves and Under-23 teams will all play their home games at America's Greatest Family Resort: Ocean City, NJ.

Matt Iles, originally from Cardiff, Wales, came to the United States as a student athlete, playing college soccer for Keiser University in 2013. During his college career with the Seahawks, he played in three national tournaments. Following his collegiate career, Matt spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Keiser. Matt and the coaching staff were named the Sun Conference coaching staff of the year in 2019, after winning both the regular season and conference tournament titles. In July of 2020, Iles joined the coaching staff at Florida Atlantic University.

In addition to his role as head coach of the Nor'easters' Under-23 team, he will also be Ocean City's Performance Coach. That role will see him develop performance programs in conjunction with Nor’easters head coach Alan McCann and instruct players in the necessary areas to realize individual and team success.

"Matt is a great addition to our backroom staff," said McCann. "He brings with him a lot of knowledge and qualifications on the physical performance side of the game along with his drive and passion to develop young players. It means we now have a staff that are present at the NAIA, NCAA Division 3, Division 2 and Division 1 levels which allows us to keep tabs on players throughout the full four-year college structure.”

Graphic by Leonardo Cattari | Catta Design | @catta_dsgn (IG)

Matt Kane comes to Ocean City from Belfast, Ireland where he will be the Nor'easters team analyst. The role will include generating pre- and post-match analysis of both the Nor'easters and their opponents, both as a unit and individual players.

Kane holds UEFA A-level coaching license and a USSF B-level coaching license. Kane moved to the United States in 2013 and began working for the New York Red Bulls. In 2017, Kane was hired by the Metropolitan Oval Academy in New York City as the head coach of the club's development academy system.

Kane is currently the head coach of the Met Oval Academy's Under-16 MLS academy team. Kane is also the head coach of elite amateur side Manhattan Celtic FC, which are one of the top clubs in New York's historic Cosmopolitan Soccer League.

"Matt's addition is an exciting one as he has experience with working within the MLS academy structure alongside his work with the senior sides, so he is very familiar with the pathway we are putting players through at the USL League Two level," said fellow Ireland native Alan McCann. "His knowledge from working with clubs that have very specific systems of play is perfect for us when it comes to analysis of our own environment and opponents."

This is all part of building a team on and off the field that aims to bring a USL League Two championship to Ocean City.

“Alan did a fantastic job of finalizing a well-balanced and exceptionally talented staff," said Nor'easters sporting director Tim Oswald. "Each member of the coaching staff is extremely dynamic and will be able to offer the unmatched experience our players crave. Our in-house scouting network is now top class and will propel our franchise to new heights.”

The Ocean City Nor’easters is a professionally-run amateur soccer club located in Ocean City, New Jersey, “America’s Greatest Family Resort". The Nor’easters were established in 1996 and made Carey Stadium ("The Beach House"), in Ocean City, N.J., its permanent home in 2005. The Nor'easters are one of the top clubs, competing in North America’s best amateur league: USL League Two. Elite players from New Jersey and beyond have the ability to compete during the summer months in a professional environment while maintaining their collegiate eligibility and pursuing their academic goals. More than 90 former Ocean City players have moved on to play the game of soccer at the professional level since 2003. The Nor’easters are not only a proving ground for players aspiring to play at the next level, but they have established a tradition of being heavily involved in the community, providing affordable family fun as well as numerous youth programs such as camps, clinics, and more.