Ocean City Nor'easters

The club was founded in 1996 as the South Jersey Barons and joined the United Systems of Independent Soccer Leagues (USISL) as a professional franchise, competing in the USISL D-3 Pro League (now the United Soccer League). In 1998, in only their second year in existence, the Barons won the Mid-Atlantic Division title. The next year, they followed that up with a second straight playoff appearance and a run to the USISL D-3 national championship game. On September 11, 1999, the Barons, playing the title game on the road, lost 2–1 to the Western Mass Pioneers. The Barons made a third straight playoff appearance in 2000, but would struggle for the next three years, never finishing above fourth place in the division.

In 2003, the Barons moved to the USL Premier Development League, and after finishing in fourth place in their inaugural season, they made history in their second season in the PDL. In 2004, they became the fifth team in league history to go through the regular season with an unbeaten record (14–0–4). They won the Northeast Division title that year, but their season came to the end in the playoffs. In the conference championship game at McPherson Stadium in Greensboro, North Carolina, they lost to the Carolina Dynamo 3–2 on a goal in the 90th minute.

In 2005, the South Jersey Barons were taken over by a local businessman, Giancarlo Granese. The first act as new owner was to move the Barons to Ocean City, New Jersey permanently and rename the team the Ocean City Barons. The club moved into its new home at Carey Stadium on 6th Street and the Boardwalk.

In their first full season at Carey Stadium in the USL League Two, the club won every game in the regular season at home (8–0–0), and finished with a 12–3–1 overall record under the direction of player-coach-general manager Neil Holloway. By the end of the regular season, their home unbeaten streak had reached 22 games, with their last home loss coming back on June 7, 2003, against the Vermont Voltage. The fans came out to see the Barons win that year, as the club finished with the sixth-best home attendance in the USL League Two. They hosted the Eastern Conference playoffs, but were upset in the conference semifinals by the Richmond Kickers Future 4–3 on a goal in the final seconds of regulation by Richmond's Dominic Oduro.

2006 marked the 10th season for the Barons organization, but on the field, despite finishing with a winning record, it was considered a down year by club standards. The Barons finished with a 6–4–6 record, which was good enough for second place in the Northeast Division, and they missed the playoffs for the first time since moving to the PDL. The Barons' home unbeaten streak came to an end on July 16 when they lost 2–1 to the Ottawa Fury. The streak, which still stands as a club record, ended at 28 games. Since 2003, this remained the longest home unbeaten streak until the Des Moines Menace had a 30-game streak that ended in 2023.

In 2007, long-time Ocean City High School head coach Mike Pellegrino took over the coaching duties and returned the Barons to the playoffs. Their 9–3–4 record earned them a second-place finish in the Mid-Atlantic Division. Their home record continued with a 6–1–1 mark and the Barons were selected by the league to host the Eastern Conference playoffs for the second time in three years. The club lost in the conference semifinals to the Cape Cod Crusaders 5–0 after they had two players sent off in the opening 24 minutes of the match.

The 2008 campaign was a tale of two halves as the club suffered its worst season since joining the USL League Two. Despite this, they still had a winning record with 6 wins, 5 losses and 5 draws. In the first half of the season, the Barons were unbeaten, with a record of 4–0–4, but the second half of the season was a different story, finishing with a 2–5–1 record. Some of the highlights included Byron Carmichael becoming the club's all-time leader in goals and points, while finishing the season with an even 100 career points. Ocean City's 8–1 win over the expansion New Jersey Rangers was a historic one as Steve Miller scored the club's third hat trick in franchise history and it was the most goals scored in a game and the largest margin of victory that the club has ever enjoyed as a member of USL League Two.

The Barons bounced back from a disappointing 2008 season with one of the club's greatest campaigns in 2009. In addition to a pair of professional team upsets in the U.S. Open Cup and a date with D.C. United of Major League Soccer, Ocean City had a great regular season and a historic postseason run. After a 9–4–3 record earned them a third-place finish in the competitive Northeast Division and a spot in the postseason, they made history with two playoff wins before advancing to the PDL quarterfinals. The Barons eliminated the Long Island Rough Riders, the second best defensive team in the PDL, 2–0 in the opening round, giving OC their first playoff win since 2004. In the next round, the Men In Red handed the undefeated Ottawa Fury their first loss of the season with a 2–1 overtime win on a 98th-minute goal by Tyler Bellamy. The playoff run came to an end in Des Moines, Iowa, where they lost to the Chicago Fire Premier 3–0.

The club rebranded itself after the 2009 season, becoming the Ocean City Nor’easters and adopting the color scheme (royal blue & white) of English club Reading. However, in their first season with their new identity in 2010, the team struggled, finishing with a 5–6–5 record, their first losing season since they joined the PDL in 2003. By and large, the team featured a very young, inexperienced roster and failed to qualify for the post-season and the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The season could have been different with a few different bounces of the ball, as four of the six losses suffered were by one goal.

The era one of high promise that teetered on the edge of success. The Nor’easters finished with a 2–6–8 record knowing that if they had turned the ties into victories then the season would have had a completely different look to it. The young players from the Under-20 Men continue to push into the first team and the Nor’easters Academy is already proving successful with the likes of Mitch Grotti, Jerry Guzzo and Gio Tacconelli all graduating to the PDL first team in 2011.

The Ocean City Nor’easters began the 2012 season with a change of head coach with Neil Holloway concentrating on his general manager duties and Rutgers-Camden coach Tim Oswald joining the team. The Nor’easters put together a strong, deep roster that saw them go on a 13–3–0 regular season record which resulted in them winning the Mid-Atlantic Division and qualifying for the 2013 U.S. Open Cup. The Nor’easters recorded one of their biggest attendances of 1,175 for their final home game as the supporters gave their appreciation for the exciting and successful season.

The Nor’easters' was arguably their greatest to date. Ocean City finished with an 11–2–1 record (2nd best record in Eastern Conference) and qualified for the playoffs. In the postseason, they won the Eastern Conference championship and advanced to the PDL Semifinals. Earlier in the season, they added to their U.S. Open Cup resume by upsetting the Pittsburgh Riverhounds of the United Soccer League to earn their fifth win over a pro team. In the following round, they nearly knocked off the Philadelphia Union but the Major League Soccer side scored a game-winning goal in second half stoppage time.

After another winning season in 2014 (7–5–2), the Nor'easters lost out on a playoff berth in 2015 on the final day of the campaign. The club got back to their winning ways with a roster that was almost unrecognizable from the previous year. A 9–5–0 record was good enough for second place in the Mid-Atlantic Division and a spot in the PDL playoffs. When they got into the postseason, they made the most of it. They defeated three division champions en route to the PDL Semifinals with wins over the GPS Portland Phoenix, Charlotte Eagles, and their long-time rival Reading United AC in the conference final. They would fall to the Calgary Foothills FC in the PDL Semifinals hosted at Carey Stadium.

In 2017, former Ocean City defender John Thompson took over as head coach as Tim Oswald shifted to a front office role as Sporting Director. Despite finishing with a better regular season record (9–4–1) than the previous year's Eastern Conference championship team, the Nor'easters missed out on the PDL playoffs due to a change in the playoff format. In 2018, the division was even more competitive after adding the Long Island Rough Riders and a second straight nine-win season (9–5–0) wasn't enough to qualify for the postseason, and because the US Soccer Federation reduced the number of Open Division teams that were included in the 2019 tournament, they did not qualify for the U.S. Open Cup.

Prior to the 2019 season, John Thompson announced he was stepping down from the role as head coach. Later that offseason, the club announced that Tim Oswald would return to the sidelines as head coach with Kevin Nuss returning to the club to replace Oswald as Sporting Director. However, a week before the season, Oswald announced that he would be stepping down as head coach due to a medical concern and Kevin Nuss would take over as head coach. The team finished second in the Mid-Atlantic Division.

After the 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, play resumed in 2021 under new leadership. Alan McCann, who had won the last two USL-2 Coach of the Year awards while in charge of rival Reading United AC, was hired to lead the Nor'easters in the club's 24th season [1]. McCann led the Nor'easters back to the playoffs but the Storm ultimately fell short, dropping a narrow 1–0 decision to West Chester United in the Eastern Conference semifinals [2]. The Nor'easters finished with a 9–2–3 record, the club's best regular season record since 2013. Ocean City finished in second place in the Mid-Atlantic Division for the second year in a row.

The Nor'easters did it by making some history along the way on both sides of the ball. Offensively, the 2021 team scored 40 goals, the second most in the league, and the most by an Ocean City team since 2005. The club was led by Simon Becher with 11 goals. Becher, who was named to the All-Conference team [3], led the league in game-winning goals and finished tied for third in goals. On the defensive side, it was one of the best back lines in club history, allowing just 12 goals in 14 regular season games with a 0.86 team goals against average. Both were records for a 14-game season. Another defensive accomplishment was eight clean sheets across all competitions, the second-most in club history.

In 2022, Kevin Nuss returned to the sidelines to lead the Nor'easters for the club's 25th season. Ocean City finished the regular season undefeated (11–0–3) for the second time in club history and won the Mid-Atlantic Division title for the fourth time. Last year's team made headlines for its offense, but in 2022, it was the defense that broke club records. Goalkeeper Felix Schafer led a defense that allowed just nine goals in 14 games, along with Ben Martino. Schafer broke the club record with a 0.55 goals against average (with five shutouts) and became the first Ocean City goalkeeper to be named the USL League Two Golden Glove winner. The team's 0.64 goals against average was also a club record for a 14-game season. The Nor'easters would finish undefeated at home (6–0–1) for the fifth time in club history and undefeated on the road (5–0–2) for the fourth time. The team also broke the club record for road undefeated streak. The Storm's streak would finish the campaign at 15 and would carry that streak into 2023. The Nor'easters qualified for the playoffs for the second year in a row, but they would fall to the Long Island Rough Riders in the opening round, 3–1.

After Kevin Nuss accepted a coaching job with USL League One's Union Omaha, Matt Perrella, his assistant from the 2019 and 2022 seasons, took over the head coaching job for 2023. Perrella made his Nor'easters head coaching debut in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup with a 3–1 road win over rival West Chester United in Round 1. In the Second Round, the Storm faced a professional team for the 15th time in club history. They would fall on the road to the Maryland Bobcats FC 3–2 as the National Independent Soccer Association side scored a goal off a corner kick on the final kick of the game. Perrella would keep the team's unbeaten streak from last season going in 2023 as the team would not suffer a loss until the final game of the regular season to West Chester United. That unbeaten streak would end at 28 games (a club record) and the road unbeaten streak would remain alive (at 21 games) heading into 2024. The 8–1–5 record was enough for Ocean City to win back-to-back division titles for the first time in club history. In the playoffs, they avenged last season's playoff loss by eliminating the Long Island Rough Riders 2–1 in the Eastern Quarterfinals. They followed that up with a 2–1 win over the Hudson Valley Hammers. The playoff run would come to an end in the Eastern Conference Final (National Quarterfinals) with a 4–2 extra time loss to Lionsbridge FC.

Adding to their success in the league, the Barons have also qualified for the U.S. Open Cup on five occasions. They made their first appearance in 2002, their final year as a professional franchise. That year, they defeated Vereinigung Erzgebirge of the USASA 4–0 in the first round, but were eliminated in the next round 1–0 by the Hampton Roads Mariners, who played in the level above the Barons, in the A-League (now called the USL Championship).

In 2004, the year of their undefeated league season in the PDL, they began the tournament with a 5–0 thrashing of the USASA's Allied SC, and once again met an A-League team in the second round. The Syracuse Salty Dogs were the club, which featured Anthony Maher, the older brother of the Barons’ Matthew Maher. It was only the second time in the Modern Era (1995–present) of the Open Cup that two brothers played against each other in a Cup game. The original match seemed to be heading in the Barons’ direction in the 75th minute with the score tied at 1–1, and the Salty Dogs playing with nine men. Unfortunately for the underdogs, the referee abandoned the match at that point due to lightning and darkness. Six days later, the match was replayed, and despite Neil Holloway giving the Barons a 1–0 lead in the 22nd minute, Syracuse was too strong, knocking the Barons out of the tournament by the score of 4–2.

The following year, the Barons made a return to the Cup and made their biggest impression in club history. They began as they had the previous two tournament appearances with a 3–0 shutout win over historic USASA club, New York Greek-American Atlas. The Barons would host their second round match against the Long Island Rough Riders of the USL Second Division, and they used their home field advantage at Carey Stadium to thrash the Rough Riders 4–0. Ruben Mingo, Tony Donatelli, Chris Williams and Steven Wacker all scored in one of the second round's biggest upsets.

In the third round, the Barons were on the short end of a historical Open Cup match in Richmond, Virginia. Again, weather played a role, postponing the original game date, and a week later, the match was delayed by two hours. When the match was finally completed, the Barons had lost to the Richmond Kickers of the USL First Division, 8–4. The Kickers answered Byron Carmichael’s opening goal, with four straight tallies in the first half. Just before halftime, Carmichael cut the lead to two, and just after the break Tony Donatelli’s goal made it 4–3 in the 54th minute. However, the home side was too strong, and with the Barons pushing for an equalizer, the Kickers opened the floodgates. 12 goals was the most total goals scored in an Open Cup match in Modern Era, which began in 1995. The four goals conceded by the Richmond Kickers was the most they had allowed in their Open Cup history.

After missing out on the tournament in 2006, the Barons returned to the Cup in 2007 and began at home with a 1–0 upset over Crystal Palace Baltimore of the USL Second Division. They hosted the second round as well and lost 2–1 to the Harrisburg City Islanders in one of the more exciting matches of the 2007 Open Cup. The Barons had three balls cleared off the line in the second half, but they weren't able to equalize.

2009 was a landmark season for the Barons in the Open Cup as they qualified for the Open Cup for the fourth time in the last six years. But the biggest highlight was the fact that Ocean City faced off with a club from Major League Soccer for the first time in franchise history. The Barons’ run in the tournament began with a shocking 3–0 home upset of Crystal Palace Baltimore of the USL Second Division. Byron Carmichael was named TheCup.us Player of the Round after scoring a pair of first half goals and J. T. Noone would put the nail in the coffin with a second half goal. The upsets at The Beach House continued in Round 2 when the Barons’ Tunde Ogunbiyi shutout the Real Maryland Monarchs of the Second Division and Noone converted a penalty kick in the second period of overtime to put the Barons into the third round by a score of 1–0. With the win, Ocean City became only the sixth amateur team in the Open Cup's modern history to register back-to-back wins over professional teams. Ogunbiyi remains one of three goalkeepers (Jesse Llamas, Derby Carillo) in the Modern Era to earn multiple shutout wins for an amateur team against professional teams in one tournament.

In Round 3, the Barons would put a scare into D.C. United but would fall 2–0 to the defending Open Cup champs on a wet night at the Maryland SoccerPlex in Germantown, Maryland.

After not qualifying for the U.S. Open Cup tournament from 2010 to 2012, the Ocean City returned to Cup action in 2013 defeating the New York Red Bull U-23's in the First Round at Carey Stadium 2–0. In the 2013 2nd Round they defeated USL Pro side the Pittsburgh Riverhounds 1–0 at Carey Stadium marking the team's fifth win over a professional team. However, they were beaten by the Philadelphia Union of MLS in the next round by the score of 2–1, after the Union scored a goal in second half stoppage time.

In 2017, the Nor'easters hosted Junior Lone Star FC of the Philadelphia Premier Soccer League in the opening round. After a 3–1 win, they advance to Round 2 where they hosted the Harrisburg City Islanders in a rematch of the 2007 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. After 120 minutes of scoreless soccer, Harrisburg won the penalty kick shootout 6–5. For Ocean City, it was the sixth shutout of a professional team, more than any amateur team in the Modern Era.

In 2018, the Nor'easters had to play all of their games on the road, starting with a 3–0 win in Ypsilanti, Michigan over NPSL power AFC Ann Arbor. Next, they traveled to North Carolina to take on the Charlotte Independence of the USL and they won the game 3–1 to earn their sixth win over a professional team in the competition. It was the first time they had upset a professional team away from home and it was the first time they did so while allowing a goal (the previous five were all shutouts). They would return to North Carolina where their US Open Cup run would come to an end with a 4–1 loss to North Carolina FC of the USL.

As a USL League Two team in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, Ocean City have six wins with five of them being upsets of professional clubs. Only two amateur teams have more wins and upsets in the tournament (Michigan Bucks and Des Moines Menace)