FC Motown is an American soccer club based in

Morristown, New Jersey Morristown () is a Town (New Jersey), town in and the county seat of Morris County, New Jersey, Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.

. Founded in 2012, the team currently fields teams in both the

National Premier Soccer League The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is an American men's association football, soccer league. The league is officially affiliated to the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) and has automatic qualification for the U.S. Open Cup. ...

(NPSL) and

USL League Two USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States, forming part of the United States soccer league system. The league will featu ...

. In 2020, the team formed a U23 side that competes in the EDP 23U league. The team plays its home games at

Drew University Drew University is a private university in Madison, New Jersey, United States. It has a wooded campus. As of fall 2020, more than 2,200 students were pursuing degrees at the university's three schools. While affiliated with the Methodism, Me ...

's Ranger Stadium and

Montclair State University Montclair State University (MSU) is a public research university in Montclair, New Jersey, with parts of the campus extending into Clifton and into Little Falls. As of fall 2018, Montclair State was, by enrollment, the second largest public un ...

's MSU Soccer Park. Since 2024, the club's NPSL team has been coached by former

New York Red Bulls The New York Red Bulls are an American professional association football, soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conferenc ...

player

Dilly Duka Dilaver Duka (born September 15, 1989) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for FC Motown in the National Premier Soccer League. Career Youth and college Duka grew up in Montville, New Jersey, to an Albanian family ...

. Motown has one league championship in the franchise history, winning the 2022 National Premier Soccer League National Championship.

History

Early years and state leagues

FC Morristown was founded in 2012 by Scott Kindzierski and Dan Karosen and began playing in the

Garden State Soccer League The United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) is a national organization for amateur soccer in the United States. It consists of 54 state associations in four regions, as well as national, regional, and state leagues. It compares to the Uni ...

(GSSL), an amateur soccer league governed by the New Jersey Soccer Association (NJSA) and the

United States Adult Soccer Association The United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) is a national organization for Amateur sports, amateur Association football, soccer in the United States. It consists of 54 state associations in four regions, as well as national, regional, and ...

(USASA). The team's first head coach was former

Homegrown player

Šaćir Hot Šaćir Hot (; born June 10, 1991) is an American soccer coach and former player who is currently the head coach of FC Motown of the National Premier Soccer League and USL League Two. Career College and amateur Hot grew up in Fair Lawn, New Je ...

. The organization fielded a team in the GSSL up until the end of the 2021–22 season, winning the Super Division eight times in that span (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2022). Entering the 2018 season, Motown held a 23-game undefeated streak in the GSSL before falling to Jackson Lions FC in the middle of the season. Motown regularly entered its GSSL team into the NJSA Men's Open State Cup, which it won on four occasions (2018, 2020, 2021, and 2022). In addition the team was also a Fricker Cup Region 1 finalist in 2016 and regional semifinalist in 2017. The team was also an Amateur Cup Region 1 semifinalist in 2014 and 2015. In 2018, Motown joined the Northeast Elite Soccer League (NESL) – a league founded by members of USASA Region I that was to be played alongside the team's regular seasons. Motown partnered with fellow New Jersey amateur side Jackson Lions FC to form Motown Lions, which won the inaugural NESL Championship over

West Chester United SC West Chester United SC is an American soccer club based in West Chester, Pennsylvania West Chester is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough and the county seat of Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located in the Delaware Valley, Phil ...

, 3–1. Motown and Jackson separated for the 2019 NESL season, which saw Motown return to the league final but lose in a rematch against West Chester, 3–2. Due to COVID and other circumstances the league ceased play in 2021. While fully amateur, the team

qualified Qualification may refer to: Processes * Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS), a competitive contract procurement process established by the United States Congress * Process qualification, ensures that manufacturing and production processes can ...

for the

2017 U.S. Open Cup The 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup was the 104th edition of the U.S. Open Cup, oldest ongoing competition in American soccer. FC Dallas entered the competition as the 2016 U.S. Open Cup Final, defending champions, but were eliminated in the quart ...

by beating tournament regular Lansdowne Bhoys FC, 3–2. The team advanced to the second round by beating NPSL side

New Jersey Copa FC New Jersey Copa FC are an American pro-am soccer club fielded by the soccer academy FC Copa Academy from Metuchen, New Jersey. It was founded in 2004 and fields men's, women's, and youth teams in a number of different amateur and semi-profess ...

, 2–1, before falling to

Rochester Rhinos Rochester Rhinos, formerly known as the Rochester Raging Rhinos, was an American soccer team based in Rochester, New York, United States. The club won the 1999 U.S. Open Cup, marking the only time a non-MLS team has won the U.S. Open Cup sinc ...

of the

United Soccer League The United Soccer League (USL) is an organizer of various professional and amateur soccer leagues in the United States league system. It currently organizes its Championship, League One, and League Two for men, its Super League and W Leag ...

, 3–0. In 2017, the team began working with NPSL side Clarkstown SC Eagles and supplied most of Clarkstown's players and staff. In 2020, Motown formed a U23 team which competes in the EDP. The team went 7–0 in its first season, winning the Men's Central Red Division.

2018

On December 6, 2017, the NPSL announced Clarkstown SC Eagles would officially rebrand as FC Motown for 2018. Like Clarkstown, Motown would also compete in the league's Keystone Conference in the Northeast Region. Hot remained the team's head coach in the NPSL and GSSL. Motown qualified for the 2018 U.S. Open Cup via the automatic bid Clarkstown had earned with its 2017 results. The team defeated

New York Red Bulls U-23 The New York Red Bulls U-23 is an American soccer team based in Harrison, New Jersey. Founded in 2009, the team plays in USL League Two, a national amateur league at the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. It is part of the official De ...

of the

Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States, forming part of the United States soccer league system. The league will featu ...

at Ranger Stadium in the First Round, 2–1, thanks to a first half brace from former professional

. In the Second Round, Motown hosted

Penn FC Harrisburg City Islanders, known as Penn FC in their final season, were an American professional soccer team based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 2003, the team most recently played in the USL Pro, the second tier of th ...

of the second division

at Ranger Stadium. Duka scored to give the team a lead but three goals in the last eleven minutes eliminated Motown, 3–1. In the

regular season In an organized sports league, a typical season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session: for example, in Major League Baseball the season lasts approximately from the last week of March to the last week of S ...

, Motown finished first in the Keystone Conference with nine wins and one loss. In the conference playoffs, the team beat fourth seed FC Monmouth in the semifinal before beating

in the final via a penalty kick shootout to capture its first Keystone Conference title. In the Northeast Region Playoffs, second seed Motown beat third seed FC Baltimore and first seed

New York Cosmos B New York Cosmos B were an American soccer team based in the New York metropolitan area that played in the National Premier Soccer League, the fourth tier of the United States soccer league system, as the reserve team of New York Cosmos. History ...

to win its first regional championship. In the national semifinal, Motown hosted FC Mulhouse Portland at Ranger Stadium and won in extra time, 2–1. In the 2018 NPSL National Championship game, top seed Motown hosted second seed

Miami FC 2 Miami FC is an American professional association football, soccer team based in Miami, Florida that competes in the USL Championship, the second tier of the American soccer pyramid. The club began play in the North American Soccer League (201 ...

– which had played professionally in the

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League (NASL) was the top-level major professional soccer league in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984. It is considered the first soccer league to be successful on a national scale in the ...

the previous season. Motown lost, 3–1, in front of a sold-out crowd of 2,143 at Ranger Stadium.

2019

In the

2019 U.S. Open Cup The 2019 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup was the 106th edition of the U.S. Open Cup, a knockout cup competition in American soccer. It is the oldest ongoing competition in the United States, and was contested by 84 teams from leagues in the U.S. sys ...

, Motown once again faced New York Red Bulls U-23 of USL League Two, formerly known as the PDL, in the First Round. Playing as the away team at MSU Soccer Park, Motown lost on penalty kicks, 4–4 (5:3 pks), in front of over 300 people. Motown finished the

third in the Keystone Conference with six wins, one draw, and three loses. In the conference playoffs, third seed Motown beat second seed West Chester United SC, 3–2. The team hosted the conference final versus fourth seed Philadelphia Lone Star FC and won, 2–0, for its second straight Keystone championship. In the Northeast Region Semifinal, third seed Motown lost to second seed FC Baltimore, 1–0.

2020

Motown qualified for the

2020 U.S. Open Cup The 2020 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup was planned to be the 107th edition of the U.S. Open Cup, a knockout cup competition in American soccer. Atlanta United FC was the defending champion after defeating Minnesota United FC in the 2019 U.S. Open Cu ...

and was scheduled to host local qualifier

New York Pancyprian-Freedoms New York Pancyprian-Freedoms is an American amateur soccer team based in Astoria, New York, United States. Founded in 1974, the team currently plays in the Eastern Premier Soccer League. The team plays its home games at Belson Stadium on the ...

in the First Round, with the winner hosting USL Championship side

Saint Louis FC Saint Louis FC was an American professional soccer team based in St. Louis, Missouri. The team was founded in May 2014, and competed in the USL Championship. The team played their matches at West Community Stadium, a venue inside the World Wide ...

in the Second Round. However the tournament was suspended in mid-March and eventually cancelled in August due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. In late March, the

2020 NPSL season The 2020 National Premier Soccer League season was part of the 108th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer in the United States and the 18th season of the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL). Miami FC, the defending league champions, left in the of ...

was also cancelled due to COVID. Motown did continue to play in state leagues however, winning the GSSL Super Division and NJSA Men's Open State Cup later in the year once play resumed.

2021

NPSL The team returned to NPSL play in the Keystone Conference following the COVID stoppage. The

saw Motown finish third in the conference with seven wins, two draws, and one loss. In the conference playoffs, third seed Motown beat second seed

Atlantic City FC Atlantic City Football Club (ACFC) is an American soccer team based in Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 2017, the team plays in the TLFC . The Club is headquartered inside Tilton Fitness Atlantic City at the Tropicana Hotel ...

on the road, 3–2, behind three first half goals from Marcus Hackett,

Roy Boateng Roy Boateng (born 21 January 1996) is a Ghanaian former footballer who played as a defender. Career Youth and college Boateng was born in Accra, Ghana, and moved to Rohnert Park, California, at the age of eight. He attended Rancho Cotate High S ...

, and

Ryan Peterson Ryan Peterson may refer to: * Ryan Peterson (soccer, born 1996), Australian soccer player * Ryan Peterson (soccer, born 1995), American soccer player See also * Ryan Petersen, producer and songwriter {{hndis, Peterson, Ryan ...

. In the conference final, Motown hosted fourth seed FC Monmouth at MSU Soccer Park and won, 2–0, off a brace from Peterson. The team entered the Northeast Region Playoffs, hosted by FC Baltimore Christos, as the third seed. In the semifinals, Motown beat second seed Georgia Revolution FC, 2–1, off a late goal from Boateng. In the region final, Motown lost to first seed Baltimore Christos, 3–3 (4:3 on penalty kicks). USL On January 13, 2021,

announced FC Motown as its latest expansion side and would compete in the Metropolitan Division beginning in the 2021 season alongside teams like the

Long Island Rough Riders The Long Island Rough Riders are an American soccer team based in South Huntington, New York, United States. Founded in 1994, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The team plays its home games at Mit ...

, Morris Elite SC, and New York Red Bulls U-23. Northern Ireland native and NPSL assistant coach Alan McClintock was named inaugural head coach of the USL side on March 15, 2021. In the

, Motown finished fifth in the Metropolitan Division and missed the playoffs.

2022

NPSL Following two cancelled editions of the tournament Motown returned to the U.S. Open Cup in

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

. The team achieved its best performance in the tournament to date, reaching the Third Round and earning $25,000 as the farthest reaching Open Division that year. Motown beat West Chester in the First Round at Montclair State following a protest and replay in only the second successful protest in the tournament since 1995. Motown hosted

National Independent Soccer Association The National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States. The league is previously in the third tier of American soccer and began play in 2019. NISA initially used a fall-to-spring season for ...

side AC Syracuse Pulse in the Second Round and earned its first win over a professional side, 1–0 AET, but lost on the road to

Rochester New York FC Rochester Rhinos, formerly known as the Rochester Raging Rhinos, was an American soccer team based in Rochester, New York, United States. The club won the 1999 U.S. Open Cup, marking the only time a non-MLS team has won the U.S. Open Cup sinc ...

(formerly the Rochester Rhinos) in penalty kicks in the next round. Hot and the team parted ways following the USOC. Gideon Baah, a former New York Red Bulls player who'd been playing with the side in the competition, was named the NPSL team's new head coach ahead of the regular season. Motown finished the

first in the Keystone Conference, beating out

Electric City Shock SC Below is a list of all the teams that ever have ever played, or will play, in the Men's Premier Soccer League (MPSL) or National Premier Soccer League The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is an American men's association football, soccer ...

on tiebreakers for the first seed. In the conference playoffs, Motown beat Pennsylvania side

Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals The first Philadelphia Ukrainians team, also known as the "Philadelphia Tridents", Tryzub FC (Ukrainian Sports Association Philadelphia Tridents, in ), was an American soccer club based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and was a member of the Americ ...

and West Chester United to capture the conference championship. In the Northeast Region Playoffs, top seed Motown beat the New York Shockers and

Appalachian FC Appalachian Football Club is an American soccer team based in Boone, North Carolina, that currently plays in the National Premier Soccer League, on the fourth tier of the United States soccer league system. The team plays its home games at th ...

at home to claim the organization's second-ever regional championship. The team's only road game in the playoffs came in the national final four, where third seed Motown beat second seed

Tulsa Athletic Tulsa Athletic is an American soccer team and are based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States. The 2023 NPSL National Champion, 2013 was their inaugural season in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), which is a national league at the fourth tie ...

, 2–1. In the 2022 NPSL National Championship game, Motown beat fourth seed

Crossfire Redmond Crossfire Redmond, previously the Seattle Wolves and Washington Crossfire, is an American soccer organization based in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 2009, the team plays in the National Premier Soccer League, the fourth tier of t ...

, 4–3, in front of 2,065 fans at MSU Soccer Park. Coby Handy Jean Rodriguez was named Man of the Match for scoring a late brace to equalize and eventually win the team's first-ever national title. USL On January 17, it was announced that Motown's USL League Two team would be partnered with youth club STA Soccer. The team was renamed to FC Motown STA. Former

Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's soccer Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College and was affi ...

assistant coach and STA Technical Director Tom Shields was named the team's head coach. In the

, STA finished seventh in the Metropolitan Division and missed the playoffs.

Peter Stroud Peter Stroud is a US guitarist best known for his work with Sheryl Crow, Don Henley, Pete Droge, and Sarah McLachlan. He is cofounder of 65amps, a company manufacturing guitar amplifiers. Biography Peter Stroud was born in Greensboro, North ...

was named to the USL League Two All-Conference team (Eastern) and the All-League team.

2023

NPSL In the

2023 U.S. Open Cup The 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup was the 108th edition of the U.S. Open Cup, the knockout domestic cup competition of American soccer. The 2023 field featured 99 teams, including a modern-era record 71 professional sides. Orlando City SC wer ...

, Motown lost in the First Round to USL League Two side Manhattan SC in extra time, 2–1. This season, the NPSL split the Keystone Conference in two to form the Keystone West Conference and the Keystone East Conference. Motown, playing in the latter, finished the

in first place and undefeated. The team beat second seed Atlantic City FC to win the Keystone East Conference championship. In the East Region Playoffs, Motown beat Hartford City FC in the semifinals but lost to rivals West Chester United in the regional final, 4–1. Following the playoff exit, Baah announced he was leaving the head coaching role. USL In the

, STA finished sixth in the Metropolitan Division and missed the playoffs.

2024

NPSL On January 5, 2024, former Motown captain and Major League Soccer midfielder

was named the third-ever coach of Motown's first team. Motown qualified for its seven straight U.S. Open Cup tournament in 2024, falling to Division III professional side New York City FC II of MLS Next Pro, 3–0, in the

First Round First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

. In the

, the team went undefeated in the Keystone East Conference. Haitian midfielder Maudwindo Germain was named the conference's Most Valuable Player. Motown entered the conference playoffs as the top seed, beating Jackson Lions FC in the final for its sixth straight conference championship. In the East Region playoffs, #1 seed Motown beat Virginia Dream FC off a second half goal past former

D.C. United D.C. United is an American professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Domestically, the club has won four MLS Cups (league championships), four Supp ...

and

United States men's national soccer team The United States men's national soccer team (USMNT), officially recognized as USA by FIFA, represents the United States in men's international Association football, soccer. The team is governed by the United States Soccer Federation, which is ...

keeper

Bill Hamid Abdul Bilal "Bill" Hamid ( ; born November 25, 1990) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for USL Championship club Miami FC. Born in Annandale, Virginia, Hamid was the first D.C. United Academy player to sign fo ...

. The team won its third regional championship in team history by beating New York Shockers, 5–0, in the final. Motown reached the 2024 NPSL National Championship Game by beating Columbus United FC, 2–0, at Drew University in the National Semifinals. Hosting its third-ever NPSL Final, Motown lost, 2–1, to

El Farolito El Farolito is an amateur soccer club based in San Francisco, California. It currently plays in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), generally considered the fourth tier of U.S. Soccer, within the Golden Gate Conference. The team is best k ...

in front of 1,300 fans at Rangers Stadium. USL Motown STA competed in the USL's Metropolitan Division, finishing the

in second place with a record of eight wins, three draws, and one loss. The team qualified for the USL League Two postseason for the first time as a wildcard. In the Eastern Conference Qualifying Round STA went on the road and led

Western Mass Pioneers Western Mass Pioneers is an American soccer team based in Ludlow, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1998, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American soccer pyramid. The team plays its home games at Lusitano Stadium ...

late but fell in extra time, 3–1.

Players & staff

Current squad

NPSL USL

Staff

NPSL *

- Head coach * Touré Weaver - Assistant coach * Adam Kelemet - Assistant coach * Gregory Irwin - Assistant coach USL * Tom Shields - Head coach * Alan McClintock - Assistant coach * Zach Roth - Goalkeeper coach EDP * Alan McClintock - Head coach

Former head coaches

(2012–2022) NPSL head coach * Gideon Baah (2022–2024) NPSL head coach * Alan McClintock (2021–2022) USL head coach

Notable players

''This list of notable former players comprises players who went on to play professional soccer after playing for the team or those who previously played professionally before joining the team.''

All Time MLS Draft Picks

Record

Year-by-year

Note: Clarkstown & Motown history and records are considered separate. However, Motown acquiring Clarkstown's NPSL franchise is officially considered a "rebrand" and the team qualified for the 2018 U.S. Open Cup based on the Eagles' 2017 NPSL results.

Games versus professional and national teams

Honors

U.S. Open Cup The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a knockout cup competition in men's soccer in the United States. It is the country's oldest ongoing national soccer competition. The competition was first held duri ...

*Participants (7):

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

2025 So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...

*Additional qualification (1):

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

Hank Steinbrecher Cup The United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) is a national organization for amateur soccer in the United States. It consists of 54 state associations in four regions, as well as national, regional, and state leagues. It compares to the Un ...

*Participants (1):

(3rd Place) USASA Region I Werner Fricker Open Cup *Runners-Up (1): 2016 Northeast Elite Super League *Champions (1): 2018 (as Motown Lions with Jackson Lions FC) **Runners-up (1): 2019 New Jersey Soccer Association Men's Open State Cup *Champions (4): 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022 **Runners-up (1): 2019

*Super Division Champions (8): 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022 Lower League eCup *PS4 Champions (1): 2020 (Player: Deiver Lopez)

References

External links

* {{Soccer in New York City National Premier Soccer League teams USL League Two teams Soccer clubs in the New York metropolitan area 2012 establishments in New Jersey Association football clubs established in 2012