April 22nd, Match #7 - Orange County SC vs Birmingham Legion FC
Oranges Look To Build On Last Week’s Win
Orange County will look to continue on last week’s first win of the 2023 USL Championship season.
It took OC six games to earn their first victory, and the team now set their sights on another visiting Eastern Conference club, Birmingham Legion FC. This game will be the first ever meeting between Orange County and Birmingham, with the visitors coming in currently sitting third in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile OC sit in 9th just one point back of the playoff line.
The Eastern Conference trend continues for Orange County as this will be their fifth matchup against an opposite conference team as well as Orange County’s fifth home game in what has been a heavy home schedule early season.
THE OPPONENT - BIRMINGHAM LEGION FC
The Legion are a relatively newer club having been established in 2019. In their first four seasons, they have qualified for the playoffs in each year while also having been eliminated in the first round every year. The offense is the part of the field that has been exceptional for Birmingham this year having netted 8 goals, meanwhile on defense they have matched that by conceding 8 goals.
The Legion have also been on a bit of a slide as of late. They have lost their last two matchups by a combined goal differential of -4. This comes after Birmingham won three consecutive games. Head coach Tom Soehn has been the only manager in club history and in his fifth season at the helm will have a very familiar squad that will be looking at a deep postseason run.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Neco Brett will be looking to continue his consistent goal-scoring pace. As the main man at the top for the Legion, he already has 3 tallies to go along with one helper in his six appearances. Career wise Brett is a bit of an USL journeyman having spent time with both Portland Timbers 2, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, New Mexico, and is currently on his second stint with Birmingham.
On the Orange side of things, Ashish Chattha is due for his first professional goal. The 23-year old former UCI standout has in 6 games has registered 6 shots while also putting in three crosses. Chatta has been close to a first professional goal on a number of occasions and may very well do so this Saturday.
THE MATCHUP
This will be the very first matchup between the two clubs and it should come with a bit of fireworks. Orange County should look to explode on offense against a Legion defense that ranks at the lower half of the league. Of course OC themselves must also limit the number of chances they concede to Birmingham with the number of talented offensive weapons on their roster. Orange County are looking for consecutive wins for the first time since the 2021 title-winning season.
WHAT TO KNOW
Game - vs Birmingham Legion FC (USL Championship)
When - April 22, 7:00 PM PST
Where - Championship Soccer Stadium (Irvine, CA)
OCSC Form - WLWDD
BIR FORM - LLWWW
All-Time Matchup - 0-0-0
TV - ESPN+, Bally Sports SoCal