With the end of the calendar year fast approaching, all we can do as fans is build up hype for what is already looking like a thrilling 2024 season for Orange County SC
The 2023 Roller Coaster Ride
From a fan perspective, the 2023 season was as stressful as it was exciting. The season started rough; in 10 games, OCSC only won two games (one of which was the first round of the Open Cup), and everything pointed toward another disappointing year. However, the team and new head coach, Morten Karlsen, turned things around in a huge way. By the end of the season, Orange County went from 11th to 2nd place in the Western Conference.
The excitement didn’t stop at the performance on the field either. A new stadium deal was secured, providing the club a home at Championship Stadium for the next ten years, and huge transfers of both Milan Iloski and Korede Osundina to European clubs proved once again that OCSC is one of the best American soccer organizations for player development.
Although the team's playoff run ended sooner than everyone would have liked, the growth of this fantastic club, both on and off the field, left fans hyped for what the 2024 season has to offer.
The Age of Karlsen
On May 1st, 2023, Morten Karlsen took the reins as Interim Head Coach after OCSC legend Richard Chaplow departed. Karlsen joined the club as an assistant coach at the beginning of the year with an incredibly impressive resume that included, but not limited to, the Danish technical staff at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Karlsen had an extremely tough job of taking a team at the bottom of the table all the way to the playoffs. Not only did he achieve that goal, but he also earned the USL Championship Coach of the Month award in July and August, the first time in league history a coach has received the award two months in a row.
He provided the team with a clear identity and play style that was successful and an absolute joy to watch as a fan. The club's most important decision this off-season was securing Morten Karlsen to a multi-year contract as the official head coach of Orange County SC.
With him at the helm from the beginning and with a new roster he will help build, players and fans should have a lot of confidence that 2024 could be the year OCSC earns a second star above their crest.
Back For More
As of writing this article, OCSC has made a few announcements regarding returning players that should excite everyone. So far, eleven players are confirmed to return in the 2024 season.
Orange County had one of the best defensive units in the entire league, ranking in the top five of both clean sheets and goals allowed. This incredible defensive feat is mainly due to five spectacular performances from captain Markus Nakkim, Dillon Powers, Ryan Doghman, Owen Lambe, and goalkeeper Colin Shutler, all of which will be back next season.
Additionally, one of the elements of the team’s performance that was praised the most throughout the year was the midfield dominance the boys in orange and black had in the second half of the season. Largely thanks to three more players who will continue to rep those colors: Kyle Scott, Kevin Partida, and Seth Casiple.
Kyle Scott had this to say about his excitement for another season with Orange County SC, “We have a really strong group for this league, and with a top manager, I’m confident we can win the league this season.”
On the offensive front, Thomas Amang, Brian Iloski and Bryce Jamison have all signed new contracts with the club. Some of the best goals all season were from these three players and their combined strength and speed will be absolutely crucial to this team’s success.
With the amazing chemistry of the entire squad last season, having eleven returns is huge! This could very well be the starting lineup of 2024 and that’s without any new signing announcements yet.
Replacing Milan
It's no secret that next year's roster will have a large Milan Iloski-shaped hole that will be incredibly hard to fill. In his two years with OCSC, Milan scored 38 goals and 11 assists, becoming the club's all-time leading goal scorer and one of the best players in the entire league. Deservedly so, Milan is moving to Danish Superliga side FC Nordsjaelland next year.
Luckily, with the return of the defensive line and most of the starting midfielders from last season, the most significant focus for the off-season can be revamping the offense with new signings. Will the club find a striker who can score as often as Milan? Probably not. But what they can do is build a roster that wins through a more Total Football strategic approach where the entire squad contributes to netting goals against the opposition and preventing goals from going in our own net.
Asking one player to fill Milan's shoes is asking for too much, but signing multiple prolific goal-scorers to share the spotlight can be precisely what the team needs to win the league again.
The Next Wave
One of Orange County's greatest strengths as a club is its youth development. Over the years, we have been blessed to see the progress of players such as Kobi Henry, Aaron Cervantes, Alex Villanueva, Korede Osundina, and Bryce Jamison as they develop their careers to new heights. <insert team Next Wave graphic>
Not only does OCSC have a talented academy team in OCSC II, who just made it to the USL Academy League Finals, but many players from that squad got first-team experience throughout last season. And we can expect the same treatment as the club moves forward into the new year. Players like Ashton Miles, Juan Santana, Nico Ruiz, Benjamin Barjolo, Joseph Buckley, Ben Norris, and Taj Eagleston could all make a huge impact and develop into the next OCSC star.
(editor: We’ll have a full recap of the OCSC II Academy season soon.)
Path to a Second Star
With the spectacular performance of the team in the second half of 2023 and the return of some of the best players, it is exhilarating to see what the club will do in 2024. There are many ways to measure success for a professional soccer team, but we'd all love to see this club win another championship title. But what needs to improve from last season to make that happen?
The first thing that comes to mind when looking at how the team can improve is adding more depth to the midfield. The heartbreaking loss to Phoenix Rising during the playoffs was a true battle of attrition, and the opponents had more depth in their squad to replace exhausted players as the match reached extra time. After Kyle Scott and Kevin Partida got subbed off, the team lost their midfield dominance, giving Phoenix room for a late winning goal. As the club looks to restructure the roster this off-season, we can only hope that deeper depth in the squad will provide coverage for potentially long matches required to succeed in a playoff format.
The other element that comes to mind is cohesiveness in all aspects. Thankfully, with Morten Karlsen signing a multi-year contract as head coach, we won't see a shift in leadership in the middle of the season, and the entire team can be on the same page from the first match to the last. A strong core of returning players already announced can also guide any new signings on the type of play style that can make the team successful in this league.
2023 provided a roller coaster of emotions for OCSC fans, and although the playoff run ended in disappointment, there is a lot to look forward to in the new year. Returning fan favorite players already announced, new signings on the horizon, and the fight for a second star above the crest, it's impossible not to be excited for what awaits Orange County SC in 2024.
