Playoff positions and pride are at stake for both sides.
Orange County SC's Christian Duke. I Photo courtesy of Orange County SC/Liza Rosales
IRVINE, Calif. (August 24, 2019) - Orange County SC will certainly look to build upon their empathic 3-0 win against Las Vegas, this time taking on Real Monarchs in the first meeting of the two sides this season. 2018 saw the two sides split the points, with OCSC using their late summer home fixture to storm up the table into first place.
Orange County (30 points) are just three points out of eighth and six points out of fourth, meaning that Saturday’s match is an excellent chance to jump up the table and stake a claim firmly in the playoff places. Confidence will be high following last weekend’s match, and another complete performance from OCSC should spell disaster for the visitors.
Real Monarchs (35 points) have taken seven points from their last four matches. They arrive having most recently fought to a 1-1 draw against Fresno. They are another side that have struggled on the road, having earned just 11 points from their 11 road matches this season. Getting at least a point is crucial for the young side to remain in the playoff places, who could fall as far as 11th with a loss.
Real Monarchs play an attractive, attacking style of soccer that has the side boasting a +10 goal difference. Douglas Martinez leads the attack with 10 goals in 16 appearances, while Maikel Chang has found the back of the net nine times in 22 games. Orange County showed resolve to frustrate the Las Vegas attack and must have a similar commitment to emerge victorious in what is sure to be a free flowing evening.
Frederik Due, formerly of SuperLiga side Randers and fellow USL Championship side Hartford Athletic is available for selection against the Monarchs. Kevin Alston, Liam Trotter, and Vinicius remain unavailable as they recover from injury.
Former OCSC man Noah Powder is likely to feature for the visitors. The left back has played 1,741 minutes for the Monarchs, starting in 19 matches.
The match kicks off at 7pm at Championship Stadium at the Orange County Great Park. The game will also be broadcast live on ESPN+ in the United States.
Highlights:
Last week’s match against Las Vegas was the first time since April that OCSC scored multiple goals from outside of the penalty area. It was also the team’s first shutout victory since April.
Real Monarchs have won just two matches on the road in 2019.