POST-MATCH REVIEW: EARLY ATTACKS EARN THREE POINTS

An amazing celebration of Pride Night at Championship Stadium saw Orange County SC welcome Rio Grande Valley FC Toros to their only home game of June.

FIRST HALF

Under the leadership of Morten Karlsen, Orange County SC has gradually performed stronger each week, and they looked to continue that trend against the Toros. The defensive form of the orange & black squad has been excellent in the past few games; however, they have unfortunately not had the same success with the offense. As a result, fans have been worried about this team's ability to find a solid finishing touch and were cautiously optimistic that everything would finally come together in this match.

In the 4th minute, Kyle Scott and Milan Iloski gave fans exactly what they had hoped for. After capitalizing on a mistake, Scott took a turnover at the half line and broke through the Toros' defensive line with Milan beside him for support. Scott pushed the ball forward to Milan for a 1v1 with RGV keeper Carlos Merancio where he easily found the back corner of the net, giving OCSC an incredibly early lead.

Having such an early lead leaves a lot of opportunities for a comeback, but the boys in orange and black did not ease up on their aggression. The midfield was crucial in keeping the momentum in favor of Orange County. Daniel Pedersen, Seth Casiple, Scott, and Ryan Doghman consistently pushed hard against RGV's attack, stopping the opposition from getting into dangerous positions.

The intense chemistry in the midfield kicked off the perfect team play with a collection of passes around the half that eventually found Pedersen on the right line. He took the ball up and sent a low cross into the box. Milan, at the front post, flicked the ball behind him to Korede Osundina, who was alone at the far post with an open net in front of him. He tapped it in and found his second goal of the season, widening the lead to 2-0 only 16 minutes into the match.

The Toros had some strong chances created on OC's final third of the pitch. A handful of long passes forward left some open real estate for RGV to make some runs. However, Orange County's defensive line has stayed consistent in keeping Colin Shutler from being too involved. Captain Markus Nakkim and Dillon Powers were critical in keeping the lead at 2-0 for the first half.

SECOND HALF 

Karlsen made a change during the break bringing on Bryce Jamison for Osundina. Putting some fresh legs on the front line showed that Orange County wanted more than just a 2-goal lead while trusting the defense to keep the clean sheet.

And the back line was the real star of the second half as RGV came on strong in the first ten minutes. They kept possession mostly on County’s final third early in the half; however, County’s defensive strategy of using Owen Lambe and Doghman on the outside to prevent any dangerous crosses and forcing the Toros offense into the middle where they had no hope of breaking through.

Brent Richards came on for Lambe in the 59th minute marking his 200th game played in the USL. The substitution also saw Scott come off to be replaced by Thomas Amang. Quickly after the subs, OCSC Nearly netted a third goal after Milan took the ball up the left side and found Jamison in the middle with an open passing lane. The young star had all the time in the world to take a shot on goal, but he blundered, resulting in an easy save for Merancio.

As the 65th minute of the game struck the clock, Orange County SC saw a change in their formation to more of a focus on defensive strength. Morten Bjorshol replaced Brian Iloski to settle the game defensively and lock in the win. They didn’t give up on their attempts for another goal, but they were smart about their forward pushes in not overcommitting the midfield and wing backs, which would potentially leave the back line vulnerable. Instead, they kept a solid strategy of balance throughout the whole field that proved clinical.

Shutler did have a scary moment in extra time where he fumbled the ball in the box and allowed Frank Lopez to take a shot toward goal. Yet, the theme of balance and support stayed true for OCSC, and Bjorshol denied RGV's last opportunity of the night, keeping the shutout and all three points for the home team.

OVERVIEW

This win at home will be an incredible boost to Orange County SC's confidence as they prepare for three away games in a row for June. Besides a feeling of pure joy in celebrating the win, the vibe from fans in the stands was that hope may be back for this 2023 season. The performance seen from the club on Saturday was arguably the most consistent since they won the Championship back in 2021. The boys in orange played their hearts out for 90 minutes, never letting up despite having a 2-0 lead before the 20-minute mark.

This doesn't mean they performed flawlessly, though, and there is still a lot of room for improvement when it comes to keeping possession throughout the whole match as well as staying onside. The home team saw 11 offsides, most of which came in the second half. It is wonderful to see how eager they were to continue pushing forward and looking for goals, but it needs to be done cleverly and patiently rather than getting too reckless.

With this win, Orange County is only a few points away from returning to the playoff race. They have a tough month ahead, with three consecutive away games, starting with a trip to Denver for a face-off against the Colorado Springs Switchbacks on June 10th. But if they can earn a win (or two) on the road, there will be reason to hope this team can make a huge comeback during the second half of this season.