There are not many teams in the United States that can claim to play in a facility named for someone quite as cool as FC Monmouth. Its home is Count Basie Park in Red Bank, NJ and the outfit from an area known for producing musicians will be looking to make sweet soccer music of its own in the 2019 NPSL season.

FC Monmouth, also referred to as the Raptors, enjoyed a successful season in the Keystone Conference last season, finishing fourth and just qualifying for the conference playoffs by defeating local rivals NJ Copa FC on the final day of the regular season. Several players distinguished themselves, but defender Thomas Judge, midfielder George Akampeke, and forward Jordan Saling were named to the Conference’s Best XI (with Judge also earning NPSL Best XI honors). Securing six wins on the way, FC Monmouth gained its league position through imperious home form, drawing just one of the five matches at Count Basie Park while winning the rest. The club’s attendance of around five hundred fans per game and its supporters group, The 732, were instrumental pieces in creating an atmosphere that was difficult for teams to perform in and the record at home more than speaks for itself. The away form is the only question mark from last season, as two wins away from home was not enough to push Monmouth into the upper reaches of the conference. Despite the overall tough form away from home, Monmouth’s best win of the season was arguably a 3-1 triumph over NJ Copa in Metuchen, NJ.

In the playoffs, Monmouth’s stay was short as it came up against regular season conference champions and eventual playoff champions, FC Motown. It was always a challenge having to go away from home to the best team in the conference, and it proved to be too much for the Raptors, as they fell to Motown 4-1. The disappointment of the postseason exit has since given way to pure optimism now for 2019. Obviously on the field the playoffs are the goal, but the development off the field is important to the club as well. Its motto, “We Are Monmouth,” demonstrates what it hopes to achieve this next season. It wants to double the amount of fans at the games and connect more with the community. The goals are admirable and the potential is palpable. Monmouth’s potential for 2019 basically depends on maintaining home form and improving the form away from home. With the community behind them, the Raptors will have a lot of potential to push for the Conference Championship.

FC Motown

FC Motown (formerly known as Clarkstown SC Eagles), based in Morristown, NJ, had a landmark season in the NPSL last season as it stormed the Keystone Conference, suffering just one loss at the hands of West Chester United en route to a regular season conference championship and a berth in the playoffs as the top seed. It dispatched FC Monmouth quite comfortably in the first round of the playoffs, led by former MLS attacker Dilly Duka. West Chester United proved a stern test again for Motown though and it took penalties to send the New Jersey club to the Northeast Region Semifinal. There, a double from Daryl Kavanagh helped Motown to a solid 3-0 win over FC Baltimore, before a Dilly Duka penalty proved enough to hold off the stiffest competition- and favorites to win the national title, NY Cosmos B -to 3-2. It was no surprise after such a performance; you would be forgiven for thinking Motown would walk over FCM Portland in the national semifinal. But the Oregon club was a tough but to crack for Motown, which needed extra time and a late David Nigro winner in added time at the end of the extra period to triumph 2-1. It was there that it ran out of magic, as a 35th minute equalizer from Duka in the national final against Miami FC 2 proved to be a mere consolation, with the South Florida former NASL club proving to have too much firepower.