Morris Elite SC (USL League Two) @ Frederick Douglass Field (Newark, NJ)

26 IN 26 STOP 17

*This trip occurred on June 3, 2026. For more on USL2, here's an overview.

Morris Elite Soccer Club was founded in 2016 by a former player after his "pro career" ended, and has become one of the fastest growing youth soccer programs in the United States (according to the club). In 2021, the club started up a USL League Two team; however, said team has yet to make the USL playoffs. Also, despite being named "Morris" Elite and the organization being headquartered in Madison, NJ (where FC Motown happens to play), the USL2 team’s home stadium is not in Morris County - it’s at my (true) alma mater: Rutgers Newark!

I can’t really tell you much about the school (though trust me: it's not that exciting)¹ or the field itself, as information is kinda sparse (at least for the field; after all, Rutgers Newark is a D-III school²), but I can tell you that I used to see it ALL THE TIME: during my time as a student, the computer lab I frequented in my later college years (thanks to it being WAY LESS BUSY than the main computer labs) was in a building adjacent to the field, so I’d often walk past it before/between/after classes. Apparently they replaced the turf in 2019 (which was after I graduated), but I have no idea what the new field offers that the old one didn’t (outside of it apparently being cooler). Also, the field was officially named after Frederick Douglass in 2018 (and has a plaque commemorating Douglass and a few historical sites near where the field is now), but I could have sworn that it held that name when I was in college (maybe I’m Mandela-ing this).

There are NO PERMANENT SEATS here: the field serves both soccer and softball, and in order for both sports to be able to coexist in the small space it has, portable bleachers are utilized (which have covers over the seats - something rather uncommon at this level). Outside of that...there really isn’t much to say: this is a D-III multipurpose field after all - but given that the bleachers are set up ON the field itself...

There is one other thing worth mentioning: the field itself is at the bottom of a hill, and there's a parking lot for Rutgers staff at the top of the hill overlooking the field (next to the building I mentioned earlier). A small set of bleachers overlooking the field is present near this lot, and while there is a gate (seemingly to limit access when not intended for use), it was open for this game (plus the field is quite visible from the parking lot and the adjacent street).

In all honesty, this trip was a bit of a crapshoot because...Newark³. While the neighborhood (University Heights) is PROBABLY one of the better parts of the city (at least compared to the parts I saw while driving in), I did get asked for money IN BROAD DAYLIGHT once back when I was in college (plus this game had a 7:30 start time and the field is kinda far from the highways). Also, parking is a bit odd: I'm not fully sure what the "public status" of the Rutgers lots are (i.e. if they're supposed to be free and open to the public), but I was able to find some street parking across the street (which was free). However, I felt that I wanted to do this, and since THIS date fell neatly into my calendar, I ended up choosing to come here⁴.

I'm not sure if this game qualifies as the "Morris County Derby", as it saw Morris Elite take on USL2's other team based in Morris County, NJ: FC Motown STA. Yes, this just so happenes to be the THIRD time I've seen FC Motown STA this year, and they continued their dominance over the Metropolitan Division - cruising to a 4-0 victory (which means that not only have they won all three games I've seen, they've outscored their opponents 13-1 in those three games)⁵. I also must note that they have one of the most vocal coaches in USL2 that I've noticed - though that may be because it's super easy to pick out his accent...

Also, like Ironbound SC (which just so happens to be another "youth academy with a USL2 team"), there are no concessions or merchandise to be found here. However, if you are hungry, RU Hungry (a New Brunswick staple with a Newark location that opened - you guessed it - AFTER I graduated) is about a block away with its famous fat sandwiches.

ON DECK

It's been a bit since I've done one of THESE, and that's largely because I've had my plans get changed last minute quite a bit these past few days (case in point: I had to cancel plans to see THREE separate games last weekend).

Having said that, NEXT weekend is a bit up in the air as well - by which I mainly mean Saturday...