With a Home Field advantage at Championship Soccer Stadium, the struggling 2021 champions will be looking to put a stop to their four game losing streak against 10th place Loudoun United FC on Saturday June 25th 5:00 pm pacific.
Ivan Gutierrez
What was once a joyful and amazing dream in 2021 for Orange County SC turned into a 2022 nightmare for the current champions in the form of a variety of injuries. Before the season even started Brian Iloski, brother of Milan Iloski, has been out from injury (rumored to be some early season surgery); Danny Acosta is out for the season due to a knee injury against LAFC during the US Open Cup match; Tony Rocha has missed a huge chunk of playtime this season. Rob Kiernan’s week 9 injury has been a huge blow to the champs as the defense has suffered making Kiernan seem like the glue of the defense that kept them all in tact. Now Brent Richards is out indefinitely and fan favorite Mikko Kuningas has been sidelined due to injury which resulted in limited play time in the 3-1 loss to Louisville City. With a majority of these players primarily on the defensive side it is no wonder why the champions have struggled defensively as it seems like they have had to rotate a different formation every other week.
The 2021 USL Championship Winners see themselves currently in 12th place of the Western Conference. They currently have a mere 14 points in 15 matches while scoring 21 goals in 15 matches but 26 goals against. In the last five games, OCSC see themselves with four losses and one draw. The champs have not won a single match in the USL Championship since May 13, 2022 against FC Tulsa when they defeated the 9th place Eastern Conference team 5-1. Their last game on Saturday June 18th OCSC suffered a 3-1 loss on the road against Louisville City.
On the other side of the field the visiting team, Loudoun United FC, are currently in 10th place of the Eastern Conference. Like OCSC they have a mere 14 points in 15 matches while scoring only a measly 15 goals and a whopping 27 goals against. In the last five games, Loudoun United have two wins, two losses, and one tie. Their latest win was last Saturday June 18th against Phoenix Rising FC in a thrilling 4-3 victory. Their victory against Phoenix Rising did Orange County SC a favor as Phoenix sit currently in 11th place of the Western Conference with 21 points.
While Orange County have a long way to go if they want to make it back into the playoffs it all can start with a single victory. Momentum is the key here for Orange County, they have to start with one victory and what better way than against a struggling Loudoun team who have their fair share of defensive problems- maybe even more than Orange County. Could Saturday June 25th be the beginning of a comeback for the 2021 champions?
The game will be played Saturday June 25th at 5:00 pm Pacific at the Championship Soccer Stadium at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, California. For those watching from the comfort of your own home, the match is available on ESPN+.
Potential Line-Ups:
Orange County SC:
GK: Patrick Rakovsky
Defense: Ahmed Longmire, Albi Skendi, Michael Orozco, Alex Villanueva
Midfield: Seth Casiple, Tommy McCabe, Ivan Gutierrez
Forwards: Sean Okoli, Erick Torres, Milan Iloski
Loudoun United FC:
GK: Joe Rice
Defense: Jalen Robinson, Carson Vom Steeg, Grant Lillard
Midfield: Zoumana Diarra, Michael Gamble, Nicky Downs, Skage Simonsen
Forwards: Sami Guediri, Tyler Freeman, Abdellatif Aboukoura