Although a tie at home isn’t what anyone was hoping for, this Orange County squad showcased a lot of chemistry and promise on the pitch in their week 2 match against the Tampa Bay Rowdies.
Saturday, 3/18, offered the second home match for Orange County Soccer Club against the Tampa Bay Rowdies; their first time hosting the eastern conference titan since 2013. OCSC started the match with a couple of updates to their starting lineup, most notably in their newest signing of goalkeeper Cody Cropper. Both Dillon Powers and Ashish Chattha also had their first starts of the season, Powers taking over for Captain Daniel Pedersen who was out from a possible concussion that occurred during the week’s training.
FIRST HALF:
OCSC came out very strong at the start of the game, holding on to most of the possession throughout the first 45 minutes. A lot of team plays provided a much more controlled passing strategy that was a refreshing change from the constant long-ball approach in week one. Chattha had the first shot of the match in the 6th minute after a great pass back from Emil Nielsen in the box, but it went wide. Cropper also started his debut with a brilliant diving clearance, punching the ball outside the box, showing everyone that his signing will be a huge improvement to the squad.
Both teams seemed to be heavily focused on their defensive play early on, patiently waiting for gaps on the other sides to create chances. However, it was Orange County’s midfield strength that provided them with the majority of possession. Powers stepped up into that number 6 position that seemed to be lacking last week, getting the ball up the field when possible, but mainly staying back to prevent any attempts the Rowdies' offense made. Kevin Partida and Kyle Scott again showed amazing ball control and aggression, setting them up as the playmakers for most of OC’s offensive opportunities.
Andrew Fox was a consistent force in the first half, a crucial member for OCSC at stopping the Rowdies’ attack every time they got in the box. His strong tackles and smart passes kept Tampa Bay from bothering Cropper too much. Both Fox and Markus Nakkim continued to prove in these first two matches they are the center backs OC needs to keep the matches in their favor. The only moment the defense allowed Tampa Bay to take a shot on goal was from a bad pass from Cropper, who redeemed himself with a strong save.
Despite a very defensive first half, Orange County looked strong offensively when the openings appeared. Milan Iloski especially had wonderful momentum and awareness as a winger this match, offering a handful of precise passes, both long and short, that created a few dangerous opportunities on goal. This allowed Nielsen to step up into that number 9 positioning that eventually led to the first goal of the match.
In the 40th minute, Orange County started an amazing team play led by Scott as he pushed past the opposing midfield and found Brent Richards on the outside line. Richards then followed up with a quick low cross into the box and Nielsen took a quick turn to shoot a rocket into the back of the net giving Orange County their 1-0 lead.
SECOND HALF:
Both teams came on the pitch in the second half looking to boost their offensive play. Tampa Bay made two substitutions during the half to assist with this strategy; Ariel Martinez would come on for JJ Williams up front and Dayonn Harris replaced Jake Areman in the midfield.
Still, it was Orange County that continued their momentum from the first half with an early opportunity by Scott. Milan kept the pressure on the Rowdies' defense causing them to lose the ball just outside the box, allowing Scott to take a solid shot that was just narrowly saved by Tampa’s goalkeeper, Philip Breno. Scott, Powers, and Partida would continue with their control of the midfield throughout the rest of the match, creating some dangerous chances on goal.
Each team had counter after counter, showcasing a big shift from a more defense-heavy first half as all the players were hungry for a goal. However, an unfortunate theme for Orange County was continuously missing opportunities as they struggled to find any finishing touches that would have cemented their lead. Milan especially was eager to get his first goal of the season, with a handful of shots that were barely blocked.
In the 82nd minute, one of Tampa's counter attacks had Cropper make a diving save that was cleared out for a corner, but unfortunately, the set piece would lead to an equalizer from the Rowdies as Zachary Herivaux was able to connect with the ball after a deflection; Cropper had no chance of stopping it.
As the clock ran down, Orange County had a couple more chances to score, but sadly, couldn’t reach the goal. The most heartbreaking moment of the night had to be after Powers took a shot and a deflection from Breno provided OC with an open net. But due to a lack of communication between Milan and Korede Osundina, the shot went wide in extra time ending the match at a 1-1 draw.
LOOKING FORWARD:
Despite walking away with only one point this week; there was a lot to be happy about when it came to Orange County’s play. It was clear throughout the whole match that Chaplow and the squad learned from their weaknesses in week one and shifted their focus heavily to their defense and midfield play in order to control most of the game.
It was clear that this would be a hard game to win. Tampa Bay has always been one of the eastern conference's toughest teams, but after seeing the way this 2023 Orange County squad fought for all 90 minutes, it's hard not to be disappointed that they couldn't find that second goal.
Orange & Black SoccerCast writer and co-host, Larry Butterfas, was able to speak with the Man of the Match, Emil Nielsen, about how he felt after the final whistle was blown, “It’s a hard feeling since we didn’t get the three points, especially seeing as we should have had about five goals this match. But still very happy with the [overall] team performance and a lot of positive moments throughout.” As Nielsen said, with all the chances that arose throughout the match, Orange County should have left the game with a lot more goals and three points on the table. Yet, there is still much to be excited about after watching the chemistry of this squad unfold on the pitch. And if the team continues fighting as hard as they did this weekend, there is a lot of hope to be had for a very strong and competitive season this year.
Orange County will play one more home game to close out the month of March next week vs Las Vegas Lights, Saturday, March 25th at 7pm before opening up their away schedule to start the Month of April.