IRVINE – Next week Irvine City Council will consider a proposal that could evict Orange County Soccer Club from Championship Soccer Stadium and give exclusive rights to the venue to LA Galaxy for use by their Division 3 developmental team.
“Our club is built in Irvine, 100% Orange County proud and now under attack. We are stunned and extremely disappointed by yesterday’s news that the city could undo all the great work we have done in soccer and in the local community in Orange County,” OCSC owner James Keston said. “OCSC has called Championship Soccer Stadium home for the past five years. It is where fans have come together to watch our team represent their community, where we have won trophies, and where local players have realized their dreams as they have risen from the academy to the pros and on to some of the largest clubs in the world.”
In response to intended proposal, which was developed without OCSC’s input or awareness, the club is exploring its legal and contractual options, including whether the Galaxy – whose reserve team, LA Galaxy II, currently plays in the USL Championship – are in breach of USL rules. The LA Galaxy is prepared to offer compensation to the City of Irvine to drive OCSC, and all other local men’s and women’s pro teams in OC, from their home stadium in the Great Park.
Orange County SC is also working closely with the United Soccer League executive leadership and legal team in response to this situation.
“The USL is disappointed by the news that the City of Irvine would even consider terminating Orange County SC’s tenancy at Championship Soccer Stadium in Great Park and provide exclusive use to the LA Galaxy’s developmental team. In response, we are working closely with OCSC to explore legal and contractual options,” said Jake Edwards President of the United Soccer League.
“OCSC is a model professional sports organization that provides a world-class soccer experience for its players and fans and has a real impact on its local community. The club has won trophies and is recognized throughout global soccer for its player development. Orange Country SC’s home is – and should remain – Championship Soccer Stadium.”
The proposal is scheduled to be introduced at the Irvine City Council meeting on Tuesday, August 9.
“We are a world-class soccer club built for Orange County, by Orange County,” Keston said. “We are proud of how the local community has embraced our club and the soccer world has recognized our success. We have made Championship Soccer Stadium a true home for our fans and for the sport in the City of Irvine. As always, we will stand up for our club and our community.”
OCSC urges all fans and anyone in Orange County or beyond who cares about their soccer community to stand up for what is right. For more information, visit www.orangecountysoccer.com/stadium-update on how to take action and support Orange County SC.
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ABOUT ORANGE COUNTY SOCCER CLUB:
Orange County Soccer Club (OCSC) is Orange County’s only professional soccer team and a founding club of the United Soccer League (USL). The USL Championship comprises 27 teams across the United States and is the fastest growing Division II professional soccer league in the world. The team plays its home games at the immaculate 5,500-seat Orange County Great Park Championship Soccer Stadium located in Irvine, CA, a new facility surrounded by world class amenities and 24 soccer fields. OCSC won its first USL Championship in November by defeating the Tampa Bay Rowdies by a score of 3-1 at the 2021 USL Cup. OCSC is dedicated to being the leader in professional player development in the United States, providing the most talented young players in Southern California and across the United States a pathway to professional soccer and to the top leagues around the world. OCSC’s strategic partner is historic European power Rangers Football Club of Glasgow of the Scottish Premier League. In November 2021, OCSC’s 17-year-old center back, Kobi Henry, became the first active USL player to be called up to the full US Men’s National Team for a friendly game against Bosnia and Herzegovina and in June of 2021 Henry was transferred to Ligue 1 side, Stade de Reims in the largest transfer in USL history. Additionally, in 2019 OCSC signed the youngest male in United States soccer history to a professional contract, Francis Jacobs, at the age of 14; Jacobs played in the 2020 Alkass Cup with Rangers in Qatar and will be returning to train with Rangers in the future. OCSC also executed the first ever player move from the USL to the German Bundesliga by sending Bryang Kayo to VFL Wolfsburg in early 2020, followed by the transfer of OC native Aaron Cervantes to Rangers FC in late 2020. OCSC also received the largest transfer fee in league history within the USL for a 2021 intraleague transaction. Club owner and Chief Investment Officer of LARO Properties, James Keston, purchased the club in 2017, re- branded the team as Orange County SC and continues to lead the OCSC management team as Chief Executive Officer. OCSC, alongside its sister organization the 501c3 Orange County Soccer Club Community Foundation, are committed to creating a world-class soccer organization that focuses on the fans, players, and youth clubs of Orange County.
