Saturday marks the third and final home game of the homestand. OC hosts fellow Copa Califas side Sacramento Republic FC.
Orange County dominated their midweek match, beating Reno 1868 FC 4-1. With the win, the team moved up to 10th in the table, on 26 points. Sac Republic is even on points, but sit in ninth, with two wins being the tiebreaker. The match represents a massive opportunity for OC to jump up the standings even further and cement a place in the playoffs.
Michael Orozco’s experience and pace were crucial to Wednesday afternoon’s victory. Photo courtesy of Liza Rosales/Orange County SC.
Sacramento has lost their last two matches, against Rio Grande Valley FC and New Mexico United. With only two draws on the season, they are a team that either wins or loses. The side also lost the services of former OC goalkeeper Josh Cohen, who left on a transfer to Israeli club Maccabi Haifa FC. Much like Orange County, they are a team at a crossroads in their season, and will further be battling fatigue after playing during the midweek.
Liam Trotter and Vinicius are unavailable following their knee operations. No players are currently suspended, but Danny Crisostomo still sits one yellow away from a one match suspension for accumulation.
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:
Orange County SC’s four goals against Reno marked the first four goal performance since April against Tacoma.
Sacramento Republic FC have scored the least amount of goals of all teams in the playoff places.