"We're just different," says Ocean City Nor'easters Sporting Director Tim Oswald, reflecting on the particular challenges a club like his faces every year.
He is not suggesting those challenges are necessarily greater than those faced by other teams, nor even that they are unique. But the Nor'easters are certainly different from, for example, the New York Red Bulls U-23 team - a direct competitor in the Mid Atlantic Division of PDL.
For RBNY's U-23s, the annual task is to combine former Academy players now at college with other college-based prospects the club believes might have something to offer its pro teams in future.