Boys in Orange Look for Upset of Western Conference Leaders
It has officially been 10 games for Orange County in league play and in all honesty it has been an abysmal 10 games. After getting shutout 0-3 in Oakland on Saturday, the Oranges return back to Irvine for a midweek matchup. With the setup of USL, the top eight teams of each conference qualify for the playoffs out of a total 12. In 10 games, OCSC have played only 3 teams who are currently out of a playoff spot. Does that mean OC will play an opponent that is level in quality this time? No.
Orange County will face Sacramento Republic for the first time this season. The Republic currently sit in first place in the entire USL Championship at 21 points in only 9 matches played. Sacramento remain undefeated and are coming off a 3-1 victory at home against Indy.
However one aspect that will come into OC’s possible favor is Sacramento’s away form which is only 1-0-2. It has been a heavy home schedule for the Quails who make their first trip to Southern California of the season.
THE OPPONENT - SACRAMENTO REPUBLIC FC
Sacramento Republic FC, like Orange County SC, are one of the stalwarts of USL soccer in the West. Since their inaugural season in 2014, the Quails have won one USL title, one regular season title, and qualified for an Open Cup Final. They have flirted with rumors of MLS expansion but for the time being are looking to make it past the quarterfinals, something they have not done since their title run in 2014.
As mentioned before, Sacramento currently sit top of the league. To go along with their league best defense allowing only 3 goals all season, the offense is also third in the entire USL with 17. That gives them the best goal differential in the league at +14. They have gotten off to a blistering start including impressive victories like 5-0 over Louisville, 4-0 on Colorado Springs and a 1-1 draw with Eastern Conference leaders Charleston.
The away form is the only blemish to be found. As mentioned before, Sacramento have only had 3 games away from the state capital and have only one once. While they drew with San Antonio away they also drew with FC Tulsa as well. However they are league leaders for a reason with Mark Briggs at the helm who has now become the longest tenured head coach in franchise history.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Not much has changed with regards to the roster. Much of the same pieces from last season have remained. However one man who is new to the club is that of Russell Cicerone who is off to a blistering start. In 9 appearances this season he has already attributed 7 goals. The USL veteran has spent the last seven seasons in the league playing for clubs like Portland Timbers 2, FC Cincinnati, Saint Louis FC, and the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. The new striker for the Quails has made his welcome. Likewise former OC Blues midfielder and current captain Rodrigo Lopez is still in the mix. The two-time all-league selection is now in his third stint with the club.
For Orange County to have any success, they will need to score goals. Good thing for them they have a golden boot winner on their roster. After scoring 22 last season, Iloski has followed that up with only 3 so far this season while also tallying two assists. The offense for OC may have to be the strength moving forward and Milan has proven he can be the leader.
THE MATCHUP
This is one of the older matchups for OC with the series being pretty even to this point. As it stands across both the regular season and playoffs, OC’s record against the Republic is a modest 9-10-5. It has been awhile since Sacramento have beaten OCSC in Irvine. The last time that happened goes all the way back to March 24, 2018 (fun fact, this was the first ever OC game that I attended) in 0-1 defeat. Last season Sacramento came away with the victory in Sacramento while the home leg resulted in a draw. Overall this will be the 25th matchup in franchise history against Sacramento.
WHAT TO KNOW
Game - vs Sacramento Republic FC (USL Championship)
When - May 17, 7:00 PM PST
Where - Championship Soccer Stadium (Irvine, CA)
OCSC Form - LLLLL
SAC Form - WLDWW
All-Time Form - 9-10-5
TV - ESPN+, Bally Sports SoCal