FC Monmouth 2022 NPSL Season Preview

The gem that is the U.S. lower tier soccer system takes its most influential foothold in the summertime, with Northern Premier Soccer League action being one of the staples of the American soccer pyramid. 

With a host of teams in the tri-state area and beyond participating in the Keystone Region of the league, the Jersey Shore’s very own FC Monmouth will aim to follow up what was a strong, runners-up performance in the aforementioned region last campaign.

The summer-run league features a slate of five home and five away games, with FC Monmouth hosting their home matches at Count Basie Park in Red Bank. The away matches are played across various areas of both Pennsylvania and New Jersey, at the respective home clubs’ facilities. 

Although the American soccer system does not actively use a promotion and relegation-based system quite commonly found in European competitions, the NPSL does utilize a regional and national playoff structure to determine winning teams. With the top four teams in each conference’s regular season being drawn into a one-leg semi-final, the winners of the two semi-final matches go on to an additional one-leg final to determine the winner of the individual conference. The winners of each conference then go on to represent their conference in a seeded national tournament to determine the overall winner of the league in its entirety, with teams from all regions participating on a national platform.

FC Monmouth nearly made this dream a reality last season, falling just short, losing 2-0 to interstate rivals FC Motown in the final of the Keystone Conference. Not all was to be down about however, as the pride of Monmouth defeated the number one overall seed West Chester United on the road in their semi-final, heroically seeing out the otherwise dominant WCU 3-1. 

The result of the season in its entirety would reflect the club’s strongest and most successful NPSL endeavor to date.

FC Monmouth will look to continue this positivity and momentum into their 2022 campaign, with a host of both new and returning players taking aim to make an influential difference in another title charge.

With experience ranging from the local collegiate level, all the way to the professional level in Europe and South America, the 2022 FC Monmouth squad provides valuable depth and experience delicately balanced with youthful energy and freshness that the NPSL’s rapid and dense schedule demands. 

Here is a list of the squad, alongside the player’s respective position and hometown. Returning players are in bold.

Jake Nicoll GK Basking Ridge, NJ

A.J. Montana GK Staten Island, NY

Aime Amouzou Defender Union, NJ

George Akampeke Defender Bolgatanga, Ghana

Mason Martelloni Defender Tinton Falls, NJ

Evan Walters Defender Point Pleasant, NJ
Mussie Tesfay Defender Melbourne, Australia

Jack Longo Defender Tinton Falls, NJ

Cameron Allen Midfield Old Bridge, NJ

Joseph Lozowski Midfield Point Pleasant, NJ

Brett Sieg Midfield Little Silver, NJ

Zach Golden Midfield Marlboro, NJ

Aniello Lubrano Midfield Little Egg Harbor, NJ

Christian Torres Midfield Parsippany, NJ

Franck Aurelien Nem Nenkam Midfield Cameroon

T.J. Scollan Midfield Toms River, NJ

Jack Seitz Midfield Toms River, NJ

Johnny Hart Midfield Tuckerton, NJ

Michael Mallon Midfield Glasgow, Scotland

Rhys Cotter Midfield Wigan, England

Sam Thombs Midfield Lichfield, England

Daniel Ramm Midfield Freehold, NJ

Alexander Navarrete Forward Red Bank, NJ

Luke Pascarella Forward Millstone, NJ

Mickael Rodriguez Forward Burlington, NJ


In addition to both new and familiar faces in the player’s department, the same narrative can be set in terms of the coaching staff. John Killick, Simon Muckle, and Lee Drury will be at the helm for the upcoming 2022 FC Monmouth season. After three seasons with Brian Woods at the helm, former Assistant Coach John Killick will now step up and take command of the club as the new Head Coach. Simon Muckle and Lee Drury will round out the Assistant Coach roles on Killick’s staff. 

As mentioned earlier, the schedule comes thick and fast in the NPSL, with games running continuously throughout the spring and summer from May through August. Below is the schedule, with kickoff times and locations. Home games are in bold.

  • Sat, May 7 7pm vs NJ Copa FC (Pre-Season Friendly-FREE ADMISSION)

  • Sat, May 14, 7pm @ West Chester United SC, Kildares Turf Field, West Chester, PA

  • Sat, May 21, 6pm vs. Jackson Lions FC, Count Basie Park, Red Bank, NJ

  • Sat, May 29, 7pm @ FC Motown, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ

  • Fri, June 3, 7pm vs. Electric City Shock, Count Basie Park, Red Bank, NJ

  • Wed, June 8, 7pm @ Torch FC, Pennridge High School, Perkasie, PA 

  • Sat, June 11, 6pm vs. Hershey FC, Count Basie Park, Red Bank, NJ

  • Wed, June 22, 7pm vs. Ukrainian Nationals, Count Basie Park, Red Bank, NJ 

  • Sat, June 25, 6pm vs. PA Classics, Count Basie Park, Red Bank, NJ

  • Sat, July 2, 5pm @ Philadelphia Lone Star FC, John Bartram High School, Philadelphia, PA

  • Sat, July 9, 6pm @ Atlantic City FC, TBA

  • Jul 16/17 Conference Championship*

  • Jul 23/24 Regional Championship*

  • Jul 30 National Semifinals*

  • Aug 6 National Finals*

  • (*Upon qualification)

Two matches to keep an eye out for are the home opener against NPSL-newcomers Jackson Lions, and the 2021 NPSL Keystone Conference Semi-Finals repeat against West Chester United on opening night May 14. 

The match against the Lions allows friendly and familiar faces to duel on a competitive and league stage, pitting several former FC Monmouth players up against the squad for the Lions’ first NPSL game in their respective history.

Contrastingly, the rivalry against West Chester United runs true and deeply here in the Keystone Conference. FC Monmouth rather heroically saw off the regular season champions on their home turf last season in the Semi-Final, and will aim to have a repeat performance in terms of solidity and output from the squad.


Both games will provide a stern early season test for the FC Monmouth squad. If the team proves capable of making it through the first couple games of the season with back to back successes, it will likely set up what will be a successful campaign both on and off the pitch here at the Jersey Shore.

With loads of new and familiar faces returning to the fray, and the summertime just around the corner, it’s a perfect time of year for FC Monmouth and the NPSL to come back around. Tickets are on sale now, both individually and seasonally. 

At the gate, pricing is as follows: Adult $10, Youth $5 / Online: Adult $8, Youth $4. However, buy before May 7th using code “early” and save another 20% on your tickets! Additionally, if you buy home-season tickets, you qualify for 5-for the price of 4 ticket pricing! Tickets can be purchased on fcmonmouth.com/tickets. 

We hope to have the Basie buzzing and bustling for yet another sensational FC Monmouth summer. We hope to see you there! #WeAreMonmouth

Kieffer Braisted is a writer and social media manager for FC Monmouth. Having graduated from Kean University with a degree in communications and journalism, Kieffer brings a plethora of experience to the FC Monmouth media team, and will be producing both written content and managing social media platforms for the club.

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