2010 Ocean City FC tickets Season: $40 adult / $20 kids Call 609-525-9999 or visit www.ocnj.us (Events) for single-game tickets

The Premier Development League revealed the 2010 league schedule, and Ocean City FC will open its 14th season on Saturday, May 15 against the Hampton Roads Piranhas at Carey Stadium.

2010 Ocean City FC schedule
May 15	vs. Hampton Roads Piranhas (OCQ)	7:00 pm
May 19	at Ironbound Express (OCQ)	8:00 pm
May 22	vs. Northern Virginia Royals (OCQ)	7:00 pm
May 26	at Central Jersey Spartans (OCQ)	7:30 pm
June 4	at Bermuda Hogges	8:00 pm
June 6	at Bermuda Hogges	7:00 pm
June 12	at West Virginia Chaos	7:30 pm
June 19	at Carolina Dynamo	7:30 pm
June 25	at Reading United	7:30 pm
June 26	vs. Central Jersey Spartans	7:00 pm
June 30	at New Jersey Rangers	7:30 pm
July 3	vs. New Jersey Rangers	7:00 pm
July 10	vs. Reading United	7:00 pm
July 14	vs. Ironbound Express	7:00 pm
July 17	vs. Carolina Dynamo	7:00 pm
July 24	vs. West Virginia Chaos	7:00 pm
July 30-Aug 1	Eastern Conference Playoffs
August 6-8	National Final Four
OCQ - US Open Cup Qualifier (Unconfirmed)

The Premier Development League (PDL) revealed the 2010 league schedule, and Ocean City FC will open its 14th season on Saturday, May 15 against the Hampton Roads Piranhas at Carey Stadium in Ocean City, NJ.

For 2010, Ocean City FC will move back to the Mid-Atlantic Division, which features only two teams that were in the their division last year. The first and second place teams will qualify for the PDL playoffs.

The two teams making the move from the Northeast to the 10-team Mid-Atlantic Division are in-state rivals Ironbound Express and the New Jersey Rangers. Both teams enter their third season in the PDL and while New Jersey has struggled in their first two campaigns, Newark hit the ground running, qualifying for the playoffs in their inaugural season, but finished in fifth place last year.

The rest of the division features an expansion team, a professional club who has made the move down to the PDL and five familiar faces that OC has played against at one time or another over the years.

The Bermuda Hogges were a USL Second Division expansion team in 2007, but after three years they have moved down to the PDL level. Ocean City will fly to Bermuda (1,100 miles northeast of Miami) for a pair of games on June 4 and 6. 

Another new face in 2010 will be a fourth New Jersey-based team. The Central Jersey Spartans expansion franchise will begin play in 2010.

"Up until a couple of years ago, Ocean City FC was the sole PDL representative in the state of New Jersey," said general manager Neil Holloway. "Now we have three teams to battle with to establish who is the best team in the Garden State."

The rest of the division is highlighted by long-time Ocean City rival, and last year’s PDL regular season champion, Reading United. OC fans know them better as the Reading Rage, but they re-branded themselves this past offseason. Also on the schedule this year is the West Virginia Chaos, the Northern Virginia Royals and one of the best franchises in USL history, the Carolina Dynamo.

"We are excited about returning to the Mid-Atlantic Division, but we will miss our battles with the New York-based teams," said Holloway. "At the same time, we’re looking forward to re-establishing our rivalry with Reading United and definitely our trip to Bermuda in June."

The USL announced the 2010 playoff format, which will see all 10 Mid-Atlantic clubs battling for the top two spots and a place in the Eastern Conference playoffs July 30 - Aug. 1. The winner of each conference will move on to the National Final Four the following weekend (Aug. 6-8)

While, the format has not yet been made official, the first four games of the 2010 schedule are expected to double as qualifying games for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Ocean City will attempt to qualify for the tournament for the second year in a row and the fifth time in the last seven competitions. No amateur club in the PDL or the USASA has competed in more Open Cups during that span. Last year, the club defeated two professional teams (Crystal Palace Baltimore, Real Maryland Monarchs) but eventually were eliminated in the Third Round by DC United of Major League Soccer.

Ticket prices for the 2010 season will remain the same from last year. Season tickets are $40 for adults, $20 for kids and single-game tickets are $6 for adults and $4 for kids. Season and single-game tickets can be purchased at the Carey Stadium front gate on any gameday, or by calling the Ocean City FC ticket office at 609-525-9999. Single-game tickets can also be purchased online at the City of Ocean City’s website, OCNJ.us..

Here are the list of teams competing in the PDL Eastern Conference in 2010:

EASTERN CONFERENCE
Mid Atlantic Division: Bermuda Hogges, Carolina Dynamo, Central Jersey Spartans, Hampton Roads Piranhas, Ironbound Express, New Jersey Rangers, Northern Virginia Royals, OCEAN CITY FC, Reading United, West Virginia Chaos
Northeast Division: Albany (NY), Brooklyn Knights, Long Island Rough Riders, New Hampshire Phantoms, Ottawa Fury, MPS Portland Phoenix, Vermont Voltage, Western Mass Pioneers, Westchester Flames

Mid-Atlantic team profiles:

Bermuda Hogges: Founded in 2007 as a professional side in the USL Second Division and struggled in their three seasons in the league. They failed to make the playoffs all three years.

Carolina Dynamo: One of the great franchises in USL history, with 16 seasons under their belt. Last year, they finished with an impressive 10-4-2 record and lost in the opening round of the PDL playoffs to the Cary Clarets. The Dynamo have only missed the playoffs three times in 16 seasons competing in the professional and PDL levels of the USL. Carolina ended the Barons’ unbeaten season in 2004 with a 3-2 win in the Conference Finals.

Central Jersey Spartans: An expansion team that will begin play in 2010.

Hampton Roads Piranhas: The Piranhas will enter their fifth season in the PDL after beginning in 2006 as the Virginia Beach Submariners. They were division champions in their first two years, but their last two years, they have fallen short of the postseason.

Ironbound Express: The Express have had success in their first two seasons in the PDL, including a second place Northeast Division finish and a playoff appearance in their inaugural season in 2008. Last year, they struggled, finishing in fifth place in the division with a 6-8-2 record. Originally based in Newark, NJ, the club has dropped the city from their name for the 2010 season.

New Jersey Rangers: The Rangers entered the PDL the same year as the Ironbound Express, but have not enjoyed the same success. Last year, they finished in last place with a 2-12-2 record.

Northern Virginia Royals: The Royals began as a professional club (USL-2) in 1998 but have found little success over the years. They joined the PDL in 2006 and have not made the postseason since 1999. Last year, they finished with a 2-10-4 record. One of their notable former players is goalkeeper Troy Perkins who spent time with DC United of Major League Soccer and is playing professionally in Europe. Fun fact: In 2004, due to a unique scheduling situation, the Barons defeated the Royals 3-1 in a regular season game, despite the fact that Northern Virginia was a professional team in the Pro Soccer League (now known as the USL Second Division).

Reading United AC: The Reading Rage, a long-time rival of Ocean City, will enter the 2010 season with a new name and a new logo. Reading and Ocean City have been playing each other since they were professional teams in the late 90s and the early 2000s. Last year, Reading won their second straight division championship and won their first PDL regular season title. Their 13-1-2 earned them 41 points, the most of any team in the league.

West Virginia Chaos: The PDL side from West Virginia has yet to qualify for the playoffs since they began play in 2003. The Chaos finished in fifth place in the Northeast Division last year with a 5-8-3 mark.