The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is proud to announce that Clarkstown SC Eagles has rebranded as FC Motown. The club will continue to compete in the Northeast Region’s Keystone Conference.
Home matches will be played at Drew University’s Ranger Stadium in Madison, New Jersey, a facility with lights and seating for 1,200.
The leadership of the team will include Owner, President, and Head Coach Oliver Papraniku, Owner and Assistant Coach Scott Kindzierski, Owner and Assistant Coach Dan Karosen, Assistant Coach and Technical Director Sacir Hot, and Assistant Coach Bujar Gjata.
One of New York State’s top players and coaches with Adriatic SC, N.Y. Albanians, NYC Albania, Clarkstown SC Eagles and Cedar Stars Academy, Papraniku led his clubs to the championships in the Cosmopolitan League First and Second Divisions, Northeast Super Soccer League, NY State Manning Cup, US Amateur Cup (NYS), NPSL Keystone Conference and Northeast Region, and numerous CSL indoor titles.
Kindzierski is co-founder of FC Motown and was the 2015 New Jersey Soccer Association Coach of the Year. He is a New Jersey CPA and currently is president of an e-commerce company.
Karosen is the co-founder of FC Motown and is the Chief Financial Officer of Fields Development Group based in Hoboken. Karosen is a CPA and a graduate of the University of Notre Dame. Hot is a former U.S. U-20 Men’s National Team and New York Red Bulls Homegrown Player.
“FC Motown is thrilled to be joining the NPSL and think that the league is a perfect fit to bring our club to the next level,” Karosen commented. “This is close to a dream scenario as we are stepping into a rebranded team that is already a national power. Our players and staff combined with Oliver Papraniku’s Clarkstown team and had a wonderful experience. We made the national quarterfinals playing in front of large and festive crowds against the Kingston Stockade and Elm City Express. Our goal is to create that level of gameday experience for our players & Morristown community. We canvassed the state of New Jersey and think that this area is ripe for NPSL soccer. Everything is teed up for success as Morristown soccer fans will enjoy watching the NPSL’s 2016 highest scoring team playing on a beautiful field at leafy Drew University.”
Historic Morristown, New Jersey has been called the military capital of American Revolution as George Washington maintained his headquarters there. Morristown is located approximately 30 miles west of New York City and serves as the center of Morris County with a population of approximately 500,000. Morristown has a bustling downtown that is anchored by a historic green.
FC Motown has a rich history of success over the years. They advanced to the Second Round of the 2016 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, defeating National Amateur Champions Lansdowne Bhoys in the U.S. Open Cup. FC Motown is a four-time Super Division Champions of Garden State Soccer League (GSSL), winning the title in 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017. They maintained a 56-3-4 record over that time period with a +189 goal differential and currently have a 23-game undefeated streak in the GSSL. FC Motown was also a Fricker Cup Region 1 finalist in 2016 and regional semifinalist in 2017. The team was an Amateur Cup Region 1 semifinalist in 2014 and 2015.
FC Motown was started as a co-ed team in 2012 by high school classmates Scott Kindzieski and Dan Karosen and in five short years has become of the top amateur teams in the nation. Currently the club is a mix of former elite college players who are beginning their work careers and aspiring pros who will travel the world to achieve their dreams. FC Motown has had multiple players sign professional contacts off its squad during its brief history.
It has had high-profile friendlies during the past year against NYCFC, Red Bulls II, Ecuadorian U-20 National Team, and Peruvian side Sport Boys. FC Motown strives to balance a community-centric approach with being of the best clubs in the nation. It recently signed its first major sponsor in Colavita and hopes to sign others before the 2018 NPSL season.
Clarkstown, a three-time champion of the Keystone Conference, was an NPSL national quarterfinalist in both 2015 and 2017 and a NPSL national semifinalist in 2016. They were eliminated from the playoffs by the last three national champions of the NPSL.
“This merger between two northeast state stalwarts will create a dominant NPSL team with a goal of winning a national title,” Papraniku concluded.
