Orange County SC goalkeeper Frederik Due. | Photo courtesy of Harley Warrick - Real Monarchs SLC
According to Ray, so these are the ones that count!
(Dylan and Alan have shared their options, and I agree with them. Instead of retreading some of the obvious options, I have decided to dig a little deeper to find my choices.)
Four Players that Did Impress:
Walker Hume
If you’ve listened to the podcast, then you know Walker Hume is one of my favorite players. That alone would probably get him on this list, but it isn’t the main reason. He actually had a solid season on defense for Orange County in 2019. He played in 30 matches, starting 29 of them, while playing the most minutes of any player on the squad. He retained his starting position when Michael Orozco joined the team in June, beating out Leonardo, a player that brought MLS experience to an Orange County team hoping to win a championship. Yes, the last game of the season wasn’t his shining moment, but it can’t take away from the impressive season he had.
Daniel Crisostomo
Daniel Crisostomo makes the list because heading into the season, there were no expectations for him to play big minutes, let alone play an important role for OC (especially early on in the season). The fact that the first year player out of UC Irvine was a regular in the starting lineup for the first four months of the season, and was able to hold his own against seasoned soccer players, was a very bright spot for the club. When Christian Duke returned from injury in July, Crisostomo’s playing time decreased, but he was still called upon down the stretch of the team’s playoff run, and played 45 minutes in the lone playoff game. Not bad for a player that was an unknown depth option at the beginning of the season.
Vinicius
Now this is where both Dylan and Alan missed out (thanks guys for leaving him for me). Fans had no idea what to expect from the youngster from Brazil when he was signed by the club, but once Vinicius made his debut in March against El Paso, it was obvious what his role on the team would be. His energy, pace, and press off the bench for Orange County provided a great change of pace late in games that helped out more often than not. He only scored four goals, but what makes his season impressive is that he did that in just 633 minutes played. He scored a goal for every 158 minutes played, which put him tops on the club. Even Michael Seaton couldn’t put up those numbers, and he averaged a goal every 199 minutes. The 20-year-old from Corbelia, Brazil was so impressive in the season that he was given a start against Real Monarchs in the playoffs and managed to find space against the eventual champions.
Frederik Due
To be honest, Orange County was pretty lucky in their quality of goalkeepers this season (other than Carlos Lopez). Throughout the season, they had 3 quality keepers that could start for most teams in the league. With no disrespect to Aaron Cervantes and Patrick McLain, Frederik Due was the most impressive. The fact that he was thrown into the fire while the club was in the middle of a congested playoff race and didn’t disappoint was amazing. He was the most important player down the stretch for the team, and was a big reason for their success. If you are still on the fence about how impressive he was, just compare his stats to that of the other keepers on the team. In his 9 regular season starts, he allowed just 7 goals and had 5 clean sheets, and won 7 of those 9 matches. Due was without a doubt the most impressive keeper for Orange County in 2019.
And Three + a Non-Player Who Didn’t:
Charlie Adams
Out of all the newcomers to the club in 2019, Charlie Adams has to be top of the list for players that didn’t impress, even over Harry Forrester. After three seasons with Real Monarchs, Adams was brought in to be a key piece in the Orange County midfield. In 2018, he played in 31 matches with 6 goals and 2 assists. He was brought in to be part of a dangerous midfield trio along with Christian Duke and Aodhan Quinn. Unfortunately, he struggled in Southern California, scored 0 goals and had 0 assists in his 10 appearances with the club, and by the end of May was out of the club due to a lack of playing time. It was definitely not the season he or the club were expecting when he was signed… but at least we now have a great steamed broccoli recipe.
Koji Hashimoto
This was a tough one for me, because my expectations for Koji Hashimoto weren’t that high heading into the season. With Orange County possessing what looked like a strong and deep midfield, it was going to be hard for him to find steady playing time. The reason he made this list is due to how invisible he became in 2019. After apearing in 21 matches, with 1 goal and 3 assists for OC in 2018, he was relegated to 6 apperences with 0 goals and assists in 2019. What was even more frustrating is that there were a few moments that the 2018 Hashimoto would have helped the 2019 OCSC.
Harry Forrester
I tried so hard to not read what both Dylan and Alan wrote previously, but couldn’t keep Harry Forrester off this list. Forrester made me (and most Orange County SC fans) feel like a fool. We hoped all season long that he would become great, and after 3-4 months, he started to, only for it to come crashing down in the playoff match against Real Monarchs. He was like that girl or boy you have had crush on for years that ignores you for a very long time, finally agrees to go on a couple dates with you, and then breaks your heart when someone better comes along! With rumors that he’s back for 2020, it might be a little awkward.
The Front Office
There are two reasons I have decided to mention the front office here instead of another player. One is the lack of a second number 9 to pair with Michael Seaton. It was obvious that he needed some help up top during the season, but other than Darwin Jones, who is a winger, and Vinicius, none came. The second disappointment is the list of experienced signings the front office brought in that under-performed, which includes two of the names above, along with Jerry van Wolfgang, and Liam Trotter. If just one or two of their signings worked, the season could have ended a lot better, alas…