Orange County’s late summer surge continues, securing all three points in Tulsa thanks to Kevin Coleman’s stoppage time stunner. The club will head back out on the road again, this time journeying to the Rio Grande Valley in southern Texas in search of lucky number seven.
OCSC jumped to fourth following their victory on Saturday night and remained in that position as Sacramento and Oklahoma City fought to a 0-0 draw on Sunday afternoon.
Rio Grande Valley find themselves in 15th place. It is a similar situation to last Saturday’s match, as the hosts will need all three points to stave off elimination from playoff contention. The hosts will also be looking to even the season series, losing 2-1 to a nine-man OCSC side at the beginning of June.
The Toros are dangerous on the counterattack, having found the net 43 times in 30 matches this season. They are especially dangerous at home, having defeated Real Monarchs 3-1 last weekend, knocking the perennial playoff contenders into sixth. However, their defense has conceded 56 goals in the same time frame.
With a defense that has only allowed two goals in the last six matches, Orange County look capable of picking up all three points in Texas. However, OCSC will be missing the services of Aodhan Quinn and Harry Forrester, who will serve suspensions after picking up their respective fifth and eighth cautions of the season. Still, OC have shown over the last eight weeks that they are a side capable of finding a solution in every match, with 10 players having now made it onto the scoresheets in 2019.
Kevin Alston’s return nears, but he is again unlikely to travel. Michael Seaton, Vinicius and Hugo Arellano remain just one caution away from suspension for accumulation. Seaton, per the USL’s Good Behavior initiative, is now just three matches away from having one cautioned rescinded.
The match kicks off at 5:30pm Pacific at HEB Park in Edinburg, Texas. The game will also be broadcast live on ESPN+ in the United States.
Highlights:
Orange County SC have been confident on the ball in the last two months, raising their overall passing accuracy to 79.6%.
Rio Grande Valley has scored 43 of their 46 goals from close range, including three penalties.