The Ocean City Nor'easters, one of the top USL League Two (formerly Premier Development League) soccer clubs in North America, are building a championship team for the 2019 season and are looking for a few good men.

The Nor'easters will host a pair of open tryout sessions on on Saturday, Dec. 22 and Saturday, January 5 at Carey Stadium ("The Beach House") in Ocean City, N.J. Both events will begin at 11 a.m.

"We are excited to announce our tryouts for the upcoming season," said Nor'easters general manager Giancarlo Granese Jr. "As a club, we are looking to build off another successful year in the US Open Cup and take the next step in league play and make it back into the playoffs and win a championship. We are hoping that we can find a few players from these tryouts to add to our roster for the summer to help us achieve that goal." 

Out of the more than 70 teams in North America, the Nor'easters have the seventh-best record in the USL League Two since 2003 (and the eighth-most wins in the all-time history of the league) and will challenge for a league title in 2019. The club is also hoping to be a part of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, a national tournament where Ocean City has upset five professional teams all-time.

Tim Oswald, one of the winningest coaches in club history is returning to the Nor'easters' sidelines after spending the last two years in Ocean City's front office. From 2012-16, Oswald led the Nor'easters to a pair of appearances in the league semifinals, and a Third Round appearance in the 2013 US Open Cup, where the club narrowly lost to the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer. Oswald is on the lookout for fresh talent to continue to grow the club's national reputation.

"The open tryout has always been an excellent way for us to identify top talent to finalize our roster," said Oswald. "Each year we find hidden gems that come out and surprise us and we expect that trend to continue."

The Nor'easters are looking to fill roster spots for the 2019 USL League Two team, as well as the Under-23 and Under-20 teams.
"Tryouts have been a huge source of talent for us during my time with the club," said Nor'easters sporting director Kevin Nuss. "They've helped to provide players a pathway to our first team and beyond. I am excited to see the talent in attendance and to find some undiscovered players."

During Oswald's time as head coach (2012-16), he worked together with Nuss, both as an assistant coach and general manager, to recruit more than 40 players to Ocean City who moved on to play professionally (including 2013 league MVP Chevy Walsh), as well as 11 players who were selected in the MLS SuperDraft.

There are also some roster spots that have opened up due to college seniors moving on to play professionally. Players who are interested in trying out should fill out the online form HERE. For any additional questions, please contact the Ocean City Nor'easters team office at (609) 432-8371, or send an email to tryout@oceancityfc.com.

Check back to the Ocean City Nor'easters official website and social media accounts (Twitter, Facebook) for updates.

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Founded in 1997, the Nor'easters joined the Premier Development League in 2003, and since then have seen more than 70 players move on to play the game professionally, including Tyler Miller of Los Angeles FC, John McCarthy of the Philadelphia Union, Brendan Hines-Ike of KV Kortrijk (Belgium) and Tony Donatelli of the Baltimore Blast. You can see a comprehensive list of #OCN alums currently playing professionally here.