Boys in Orange Prepare for Orange County Derby
The Lamar Hunt US Open Cup is here and Orange County are set to enter into the second round of the annual tournament.
In normal fashion, all USL Championship independent sides enter into the competition at the second round and match up often against local lower league sides. Overall Orange County has had very little success in this competition. Their best run to date came in 2017 when they reached the fourth round of competition before bowing out to the LA Galaxy.
Historically the tournament has not been a priority for Orange County. In their ten total appearances, OC has failed to advance past the first round six times. This has included defeats to teams like LA Wolves, Fresno Fuego, PSA Elite, and Orange County FC. In fact Orange County SC has even yet to beat a fellow Orange County team in any professional match ever.
However they can turn that around on Wednesday.
THE OPPONENT - CAPO FC
Capistrano FC are based out of San Juan Capistrano and at the moment are set to take part in USL League Two. However they may or may not be a part of NISA Nation. Capo FC was established in 2006 and previously have done well in the UPSL. They are not technically in season yet however they were able to defeat defending USL League Two champions Ventura County Fusion in the first round by a convincing 4-1 scoreline. They will look for another upset in their first matchup with their neighbors up the 5.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
With being a smaller club, there is not much information about the roster for Capo FC. What we do know is that in their first round matchup, Capo FC forward Hevany Ramos Mota had a pair of goals in their win against Ventura.
In last season’s second round matchup, Richard Chaplow fielded a very experienced lineup which included almost all of the typical starting XI from last season. It will be interesting to see if he will continue this trend. One player to watch should be Marc McNulty. Sparky has yet to find the back of the net to begin the season and will look to finally get off the snide for his new club.
THE MATCHUP
This will be the first ever matchup between Orange County SC and Capo FC. Orange County SC are expected to advance and will look to do so in consecutive years for the first time in club history. As for Capo FC this remains their first appearance in the tournament in franchise history.
WHAT TO KNOW
Game - vs Capo FC (US Open Cup - 2nd Round)
When - April 5, 7:00 PM PST
Where - Championship Soccer Stadium (Irvine, CA)
OCSC Form - DDDL
CFC Form - W
All-Time Matchup - 0-0-0
TV - B/R