Orange County played well in Austin, but a last-gasp goal for the hosts meant that OC returns home with no points. Similar results have galvanized the squad in the past, and a three game homestand to finish out July provides the perfect opportunity for Orange County to climb back up the table.
Following the loss, OCSC remain on 22 points, but drop to 14th place following a midweek win from Saturday’s visitors, San Antonio FC, who climbed to 11th place with 23 points.
Despite conceding late, Orange County had positives to take from the match in Austin. The club showed great spirit and cohesion to rally from two goals down early on, Edson Alvarado notched his first goal for the club in just his third appearance, and USMNT U17 goalkeeper Aaron Cervantes made three massive saves, not only keeping OC in the game, but earning himself a Save of the Week nomination.
Prior to Wednesday night, San Antonio had not won on the road in 2019. But the lightning that briefly interrupted their victory over El Paso was not the only electrifying aspect for the Texans. It was a pair of LA Galaxy II loanees that made the difference, with Bradford Jamieson IV scoring once and newcomer Frank Lopez scoring twice to mark the first time SAFC would score three goals since their first match of 2019.
With fortunes varying greatly between the two sides’ last matches, Orange County will need to remain focused and unified for the full ninety minutes: a win could see the team just one point out of the playoffs.
The starting eleven will look very different this week, with three changes guaranteed. Photo courtesy of Liza Rosales/Orange County SC.
Walker Hume returns from suspension this week, but midfielder Liam Trotter and striker Vinicius will be unavailable following surgical procedures. Patrick McLain will not feature. The former number one has left the club to pursue other opportunities. Following his yellow card in the 76th minute of the match against Austin, Harry Forrester rejoins Danny Crisostomo and Vinicius on the list of players who are one caution away from suspension.
The match kicks off at 7pm at Championship Soccer Stadium at the Orange County Great Park. The game will also be broadcast live on ESPN+ in the United States.
Highlights:
OCSC is one of the most consistent scoring sides in the league, averaging a goal every 59 minutes and having scored at least two goals in over 60% of their matches.
San Antonio has not registered a clean sheet on the road, with an average of 1.5 goals against per game.