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Three Nor'easters Alumni to Play for National Teams

Miller, Oldham and Broome called up to National Teams

Tyler Miller will start today for the United States U-23s, while Rickardo Oldham and Keasel Broome are training for their countries.

June 2nd, 2015
By: Christian Candeloro

The members of the Ocean City Nor’easters soccer franchise go above and beyond to proudly represent the colors of the team and the city of Ocean City.

For three alumni of the Nor’easters, the colors they display have been taken to a national level. Rickardo Oldham, Keasel Broome, and Tyler Miller have all been called up to compete for the national soccer teams in their native countries.

Miller, a goaltender who played three games for the Nor’easters in 2012, has been announced as the starting goaltender for the United States U-23 team tomorrow in their match against Qatar in the 2015 Toulon Tournament in Aubagne, France.

Miller was a four-year starter for Northwestern University, notching 36 shutouts and earning Big Ten Goaltender of the Year in 2014. He joined the U.S. National U-23 team in March, leaving his club, SVN Zweibrucken in Germany. Miller was selected in the second round of the MLS Super Draft in 2015 by the Seattle Sounders, but instead opted to sign overseas.

He will now look to make his mark for the Stars and Stripes.

Oldham, a member of this year’s squad, will join the Jamaican National U-23 Olympic Team on June 10th, and will suit up for the team when it travels to the Dominican Republic on June 22nd. Oldham has appeared in two games for the Nor’easters this season, most notably notching 61 minutes and a shot attempt in the Nor’easters 3-1 loss to D.C. United on May 23rd.

“It’s going to be a great feeling to be playing for my country and especially to be wearing the national colors,” Oldham says. “A lot of kids want this opportunity and to be selected over thousands of other players is an honor.”

Oldham previously competed for Jamaica in the 2013 CONCACAF U-20 Championship in Mexico. While he says he will miss his teammates in Ocean City, Oldham is excited for the opportunity ahead.

“This is my first PDL Season, playing here and I love the guys and the team,” Oldham says. “When I leave I’m going to miss the guys, miss the coaches. But this opportunity only comes once and you have to take it.”

Oldham isn't done playing for the Nor'easters however; he will rejoin the Nor'easters on June 29th, and fans will have a chance to welcome him back on July 3rd in the Nor'easters contest against Reading United A.C. at Carey Stadium.

Broome, a goalkeeper for appeared in three games for the Nor’easters in 2013, is competing for Barbados National Team in the buildup to the 2018 World Cup. Broome was a star at Providence College in Rhode Island, leading the Friars to the semifinals of the College Cup his senior season. He was selected in the third round of the MLS Super Draft by the San Jose Earthquakes and recently signed with the New York Cosmos, a recent MLS expansion franchise.

“I am excited to see what the level of play is and to learn from the guys down there and hopefully I can add something to the group as well,” Broome said. “My goals are to first do whatever I can to get Barbados to the next round of qualifying. For myself, I would love to get my first international cap and clean sheet for the group and build off that.”

The call-ups add to a rich history of Nor’easters playing for national teams. Since their inception in 1996, the Ocean City franchise has placed 25 alumni onto country’s national team rosters. The number is an astonishing figure considering the avenues that the Nor’easters take to discover and recruit players.

“There are quality players everywhere and we work hard to find the players that haven't been discovered yet,” Ocean City General Manager Kevin Nuss said. “A perfect example, Rickardo is playing for a community college.”

With MLS Academies such as the New York Red Bulls U-23 and D.C. United U-23s in the same PDL Division, the Nor’easters front office staff must get creative with their recruiting tactics, sampling not only the Division I collegiate level, but also Division II, III and the NAIA levels.

 “We have to be adept at finding the hidden gems at the community college and NAIA levels,” Nuss said. “We can’t get the sure-fire quality MLS guys because they are scooped up by the academies. We have to be able to scout the diamonds in the rough to be able to survive and compete.”

With four division championships and six wins over professional teams, the Nor’easters seem to be doing just fine with that strategy.

Miller, Oldham, and Broome are just more examples of the recruiting success the Nor’easters have had. They’ve made their mark on the PDL and college levels.

Now they are taking their talents to the national stage. 

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 "COLORS" 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-newsletter.

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