Quick One Game Homestand Against A Favorable Opponent
The good news for Orange County is that the defense has looked to have settled down, giving up only one goal in their past three games. The offense has decided to outdo their counterparts by only scoring one goal in the past four games.
However one thing that OC will have going for them this Saturday evening is the recent dominance they have shown against their opponent, Rio Grande Valley FC. The Toros were one of two Western Conference opponents that OC swept last season with the other being LA Galaxy II. Up to this point in the season, OC are in 11th place in the Western Conference with 10 points.
RGV are only one point better which is good enough to put them in 10th place in the West. This matchup serves as a battle of teams who are currently under the playoff line which means that a win could be massive for either side.
THE OPPONENT - RIO GRANDE VALLEY FC
Playing their first games in 2016, Rio Grande Valley FC were first established as a second team to Houston Dynamo FC of the MLS. The Toros in their seven year history have only qualified for the playoffs three times with two of those appearances coming the last two seasons. However one thing that should be noted is that the two consecutive playoff appearances occurred after the clubs split and they became an independent side. This season has not gotten off to the best start with the Toros only earning two wins to go along with five draws and four losses. It has been the offense that has plagued the Toros with the club only scoring only 9 goals through 11 games. That mark is the worst in the Western Conference and only second worst in the USL to Detroit City. This will be RGV’s third trip to California and they have done well so far earning four points out of a possible six.
This will be the third season for Wilmer Cabrera who has a lot of work to do if his club is to make it back to the USL playoffs for a third consecutive season.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
USL Championship All-League selection Wahab Ackwei returns this season in the back line. The 26-year old Ghanaian has spent the last 5 seasons in the USL system, and since joining RGV has made 42 appearances for the club. The defense has been average at best this season for a team that likes to play with a high press. This season's leading goal scorer is midfielder Ricky Ruiz who has scored a third of his team’s goals. In fact only two goals have been scored by forwards this season and both by the same one. Getting back to Ruiz though, it should be noted that Ruiz is a former player in the Orange County system having played with the U23 team in 2018 making five appearances. The Lake Elsinore native played at UCR while having stints with both LA Force and FC Golden State Force before making his way to the USL system. Ruiz finally found his way to RGV in 2022 where he has scored 5 goals in 45 appearances.
On the orange side of things, the man in between the posts, Colin Shutler is the one to watch for Orange County. Shutler was the opening game starter before being promptly benched after the defeat. It had been nine straight games that Shutler had played in and not even cracking the 18 for six of those. Shutler would make his return to the squad for OC’s match against Sacramento and was able to lead them to victory. Since then he has regained the starting keeper role and in three games has only allowed one goal while registering two clean sheets. Shutler should be in line to get another shutout.
THE MATCHUP
As it stands, Orange County against RGV are an even 5-5-1 in six seasons. As mentioned before, last season OC took both games but RGV have gotten the better of OC on the road in recent history. Likewise both of RGV’s wins have come on the road including a victory in their trip to San Diego. This will be Karlsen’s sixth game in charge who since his appointment has only scored two goals in five games.
WHAT TO KNOW
Game - vs Rio Grande Valley FC (USL Championship)
When - June 3, 7:00 PM PST
Where - Championship Soccer Stadium (Irvine, CA)
OCSC Form - DLWLL
RGV Form - LLWDD
All-Time Matchup - 5-5-1
TV - ESPN+, Bally Sports SoCal