OC II Update and Match Analysis from their 2nd Home Game
The Orange County SC II team returned back to Irvine, California for only their second home game of the USL Academy season. This one comes nearly 2 months after that win against the Phoenix Rising Academy. The USL Academy schedule itself is weird this season as it is already halfway through the year and Orange County have spent all of it away from home. This means that the second half will largely be spent at home with only two road games with one of those being only in Ventura.
OC II put on a clinic in their home match against the Fusion which will be discussed in detail momentarily. However it is best that we recap Orange County’s four game trek across Southern California and Arizona. The first stop on their endeavor took them down to San Diego to face the SD Loyal Select. Orange County ended up dropping this one 3-4 as they surrendered a goal in the 90th minute in heartbreaking fashion. Goals in that match were scored by Adrian Diaz, Phoenix Watkins, and Jason Horton. However it was not enough as they fell to them in their first road game of the year.
Orange County’s next stop would be Phoenix, AZ to face the same Rising Academy team that they had defeated back in Irvine in their season opener. It is tough when you lose in heartbreaking fashion and doing so to a big rival makes it even worse. OC II hoped that they could do the double on Phoenix however they got shelled 1-5 with Colton Beuck scoring the lone goal. The mini oranges were now 1-2 on the year and now had to play against Tucson FC a mere two days later. The fatigue had caught up to OC II and they dropped that match as well 0-4; their third consecutive loss and third straight game conceding 4 or more goals.
By this point Orange County II needed a change of fortunes and that would finally come in their match against the County to the North as they throttled Ventura County Fusion U20 6-0. Ruiz got back to his scoring ways by putting in 2 along with Phoenix Watkins who had a pair himself. Colton Beuck and Jonathan Carrasco each had a goal to contribute and Mark Hyan kept the first clean sheet of the year. By this point OC II were 2-3-0 on the year.
This now leads us to the night of July 11th as Orange County II finally returned home and would do so facing the same Ventura side from last game.
FIRST HALF
Orange County II began their eventful matchup on the front foot and easily outmatched Ventura County Fusion. It was very much a strong side fielded by OC as it included notable players like Ashton Miles, Ben Norris, Joey Buckley, and Jonathan Gomez. The story of the game and biggest difference between the home games was the amount of possession that OC held onto. With much more time holding the ball and passing between the lines, the right side of Miles, Buckley, and Norris wreaked havoc on the Fusion backline all night long. Orange County would break through with Tarek Hamideh getting the first goal on a strike from distance. OC did not look back from there as 6 minutes later they would slot home another off of a Ventura turnover in front of goal. This will be a common theme for the game. OC’s third goal of the game would come off a kick from the spot that Oscar Trujillo calmly put away. There were a couple more shots on goal but the first half ended with OC II up 3-0.
To this point the backline's only real responsibility was to hold onto possession and distribute the ball to the midfielders. Miles and Elliott kept control of the backline and it resulted in Ventura virtually offering no offense. This is where left-back Oscar Trujillo began to shine as a good option going down the wings. With Buckley on the right, Trujillo was able to quietly use his pace and skill to get through the Fusion lines with ease. A stellar performance that rewarded him with a goal from the spot.
SECOND HALF
As common with Academy League games, the second half brought on a number of substitutions. Entering the game Colton Beuck, Adrian Carbajal, and Jonathan Carrasco; all forward minded players. These subs really put the foot on Ventura as OC would get their fourth of the year and it came off the foot of Jonathan Gomez who would get his first of two goals on the night. Four minutes later, Trujillo would again dart past his man and get in on goal. However his left-footed shot blazed off the crossbar, however Gomez was there to slot home his second.
By this point the mistakes began to come quicker and quicker for the Fusion as Nico Ruiz and Chase Gozdieski would get absolute gifts in front of goal to each find the back of the net. The match was easily the most dominant one seen by an OC II team as in a span of two games they were able to put 13 past Ventura County.
OVERVIEW
This match was a statement in just how much talent is on this reserve team. Each and every facet of the OC formation did their job even if it was admittedly against a weaker side than that of a fellow USL academy team. It was a bit hard to really find anything that was less than stellar with the performance shown. Orange County II have been very good at home losing just once in the last two years. That trend has continued again tonight.
When determining who the players of the game are, it can be easy to focus on the big names of the team like Ashton Miles and Nico Ruiz. This means that tonight the players that stood out were that of left-back Oscar Trujillo and right winger Adrian Diaz. Trujillo specifically locked down the left side and was able to easily find his way upfield and was a factor in the attack. Likewise Diaz was a threat in the first half on the right side and was always open to receiving the ball. Likewise he was able to put in good service and keep the defenders on their toes; everything expected of a winger.
Due to the rough road stretch, Orange County II are on the outside looking in with regards to the Academy playoffs which are very hard to get into as it is only the top team from each division. They still have a chance but they will need to play near perfect soccer from here on out.
Their first test will come on the road as they travel to Gilbert, AZ to take on Arizona Arsenal SC. That match will take place on July 21 and will be the last time that OC II will travel outside of California for the year.