The National Premier Soccer League comes to Central Jersey this month when expansion team New Jersey Blaze hosts Pocono Snow for a 7:30 p.m. fixture at Rowland Park in South Brunswick. The Blaze opens the season on the road, at Pocono Snow, May 15.
N.J. Blaze is the newest member of the Northeast-Keystone Conference, which fields teams from New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The NPSL offers the highest level of amateur soccer in the country. The New York Red Bulls field a team in the Northeast-Atlantic Conference.
Honorary owner Ed Garber linked up with head coach Rob Napier to found the team. Napier, a native of Lancashire, England, previously worked as an assistant coach for NPSL’s Morris County Colonials.
“The league offers young players a fantastic opportunity,” Napier said. “A lot of our players are still playing college soccer and are using the summer to play in a league that will help them raise their level of play. The league gives guys a chance to put themselves in the shop window and get some recognition.”
Napier thinks the team will do more than just showcase talent. He expects his team to compete for a Northeast-Keystone title.
“The team will be a force to be reckoned with,” Napier said. “I’ve been part of the league the last couple of years, and I know what it takes to be successful at this level. We have the talent to do well.”
Not surprisingly, the Blaze roster is replete with local talent. The Central Jersey area continually produces some of the best high school teams in the state and now looks to produce the best amateur team in the northeast.
The Blaze roster includes several players from Middlesex County, including team captain Coron Short. Short is a member of the Montclair State University soccer team and a South Brunswick High School graduate. Short is a defender and midfielder and is joined by fellow Montclair State players Kevin Gramata and Will O’Connor.
“We have a number of guys from Middlesex County, including guys from Edison, East Brunswick and Piscataway,” Napier said. “It was important for us to have a local flavor. It will be good for soccer fans young and old to see the highest quality of soccer Central Jersey can offer.”
The Blaze, an affiliate of the South Brunswick Soccer Club, takes its name from a South Brunswick club team that won the state cup. Its colors are black and yellow, which are also the colors of the South Brunswick club teams.
Soccer fans are encouraged to attend the Blaze’s kick-off celebration at Garber’s office, 1163 Inman Ave. in Edison, on May 20. Festivities are scheduled from 8 to 10 a.m. with players in attendance and free tickets to the team’s May 28 home opener.