This past Saturday, Orange County SC's 2023 season ended in a heartbreaking defeat against rivals Phoenix Rising FC. In tune with the rest of the year, the boys in orange fought till the very end, losing only in overtime. Although not the end anyone wanted, in many ways, this was one of the greatest seasons of the club's career, both on and off the field.
WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS
As the wounds from defeat are still fresh in the minds of the club and fans alike, many won't be ready to thoroughly revisit the match between Phoenix Rising FC on Saturday, October 28th. However, despite the unfortunate result, Orange County SC fought tooth and nail to the end in a fashion the players and fans should be proud of.
Phoenix got an early goal that caught everyone off guard. A long ball up over the top to Danny Trejo got past both the defenders. He made a quick touch on the ball to get past goalkeeper Coln Shutler and was able to tap in the opening goal of the evening.
The rest of the first half was utterly in Orange County’s control. They dominated the midfield as they always do, with brilliant performances from Kyle Scott, Seth Casiple, and Kevin Partida. The defense, after the early mishap, locked things down and prevented a solid Phoenix offense from taking another shot on target.
In the 24th minute, the boys in orange found their equalizer in a perfect representation of the club's strength throughout this season. In a beautiful team display, Brian Iloski switched to Ryan Doghman, who was left completely open in the box. He controlled the pass and sent in a quick, low cross over to Thomas Amang, who took a one-touch shot of the ball right into the back of the net.
From there the game was a battle of attrition. The second half saw Phoenix Rising step it up and push hard against Orange County's midfield dominance, but the center backs Markus Nakkim and Dillon Powers prevented things from getting out of hand.
The heartbreaking moment happened in the 115th minute, the second half of overtime, when Emil Cuello received the ball at the top of the box and sent a rocket toward goal. The shot went right under the crossbar and into the top of the net. Ending Orange County's playoff run in the conference semi-final.
A YEAR TO BE PROUD OF
Regardless of the result on Saturday, this was a season the club should be incredibly proud of. Coming off a disappointing 2022 season, everyone was curious to see how Orange County SC would bounce back in 2023.
Unfortunately, the way things started, it seemed like it would be another frustrating eight months at Championship Stadium when ten games into the new season, Orange County had 1 win, 6 losses, and 3 draws.
On May 2nd, the club announced they would part with coach Richard Chaplow, and interim coach Morten Karlsen would take over. The team sat in 11th place in the Western Conference, and getting to the top of the table seemed hopeless. Karlsen's first couple matches as the new coach showed little difference in results; however, how the squad played improved drastically. The strategy moved from a long-ball approach into a more team-oriented play style. More of a Total Football approach that set specific roles for each player and situation, but also required the team to back each other up in a fluid control of the pitch. It was a much more exciting approach to the game for fans to watch, but it was hard to imagine there would be enough time to implement an entirely different style of play that would produce enough to save the season.
On June 17th, however, the team would begin the longest winning streak in club history. Nine straight wins against some of the toughest teams in the league saw them quickly rise up the table into a top-four spot. This new age of Morten Karlsen was precisely what the team needed to turn a near-hopeless season into one of the most dangerous teams in the entire USL.
Morten was honored with the Coach of the Month award two months in a row in July and August, marking the first time that would happen in league history. He started with a team in 11th place and ended the regular season in 2nd overall in the Western Conference, something that not even the most diehard supporters thought was possible this year. He gave the squad an overwhelming sense of identity and confidence every time they stepped onto the pitch, shaping a chemistry between the players that showcased an absolute dominance in play style that only a few of their opponents could break down.
In other colossal news, we saw two major transfer deals for Milan Iloski and Korede Osundina to first-division European clubs: Milan to the Danish Superliga FC Nordsjaelland and Osundina to the Dutch club Feyenoord. Although fans would miss both of these integral players, transfers like those proved once again that Orange County SC is one of the leading organizations in American Soccer with developing young talent for higher league competitions.
Off the field, the club had even more exciting news this season. A frustrating process with the City of Irvine last year put into question OCSC's future at the beloved Championship Soccer Stadium. Yet, this year, all those worries got put to rest as Orange County SC and Irvine City Council agreed to a 10-year deal to secure a future for the club. The organization also opened a community funding project with 500 new owners in Orange County SC.
This may not have been the year for the club to place a second star above their crest, but every single player, staff, and supporter should be incredibly proud to have called Orange County SC their home in the 2023 season. The final match of 2023 was filled with songs, pride, stress, and tears; however, the future of this wonderful club is brighter than it's ever been.
