New Jersey Blaze Returns to Action Tonight

After a long and cold winter, the action in South Brunswick will be heating up as the township’s own semi-pro soccer team, the New Jersey Blaze, will kick of the National Premier Soccer League season tonight against FC Sonic Lehigh Valley.

The New Jersey Blaze represent Central New Jersey in the NPSL, an independent league that provides the highest level of men's amateur soccer in the U.S.  

The tryouts for the Blaze were made difficult this winter, as the snow cancelled a few tryouts and moved them indoors, but the roster has taken shape and the team looks to get the season off to a roaring start.

“We now have a good, quality roster and we should be competitive this coming season,” said Head Coach and General Manager Rob Napier.  “We have some really good local players on the team this year.”

Included on the Blaze roster are Rob Campos and Lee Selby.

"It's great to play for a team in South Brunswick because I'm able to see all the people in the community come out and support great soccer,” said goalkeeper Kevin Gramata via release.  “Also, it allows the younger children to get a good example of what high level soccer looks like."

Kyle Saviano, of South Brunswick, echoed similar thoughts to Gramata about playing a high level of soccer in the town he calls home.

"It certainly means a lot to play for such a high level team in my hometown,” he said. "I have lived here ever since I was a kid, and have always called the town my home field, and to continue this into my adulthood is a great accomplishment."

The Blaze were an expansion team in 2010 and saw mixed results on the field after losing their top two offensive players to prior commitments.  The Blaze started off well, winning their first game, but ended up going 1-10-1 after suffering through some injuries and unlucky bounces, while competing in the NPSL's Keystone Conference.

“One of the challenges we have is making sure everybody is on the same page with the short lead time heading into (Thursday’s) game,” Napier said.  “Besides that we have sufficient quality to be competitive and to have a better season, as long as everybody stays focused and committed.”

Napier said he hopes the Blaze continue to see the strong crowd support they experienced last year for the home games, which will be played this year at Harvest Woods Park.

“This is an opportunity for South Brunswick to see some high quality soccer,” he said.  “We have the mens team, the womens team, and the under 20 team competing.  So this is a tremendous opportunity for the South Brunswick soccer community to see some outstanding soccer played right at their door step.  We had a good turnout of fans last year and we’re hoping for a similar turnout this year.  It’s a great opportunity to see players who have come through the South Brunswick soccer system and high school.”

The Blaze is also looking to develop its youth soccer program in South Brunswick, while also helping young players to better understand the nuances of the game by watching the NPSL action featuring some of the best amateur players in the country.

“We see lots of players that don’t watch the game enough,” Napier said. “A valuable tool in the development of young players is watching soccer of this quality and seeing what players do in certain situations and what tactics they have.  It’s a great way to learn more about the game and become involved with the game in a way that can’t be done through training sessions.  The whole idea is to get kids passionate about soccer.”The Blaze will be in action tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Harvest Woods Park against the Keystone Conference champions FC Sonic.

Blaze 2011 Schedule

All home games are at Harvest Woods Park.

Click here to find out more information on the New Jersey Blaze.

Click here to visit the Facebook page of the New Jersey Blaze for photos and more.