Orange County SC was back on their home turf this weekend as they continued their winning streak with the defeat of New Mexico United. Since the summer began, OCSC has won seven of their last nine matches, putting them in 6th in the Western Conference.
FIRST HALF:
Back home after three weeks of away games, Orange County SC had the momentum to come out of the gate strong this Saturday. With a sold-out stadium of thousands of fans cheering on the boys in orange, it’s no surprise that they completely dominated the first half of the match.
The critical element to this came from the midfield's ability to keep an aggressive push forward by Kyle Scott and Seth Casiple, eventually leading to the first strike on goal of the game. The squad built up possession in the middle, pulling the attention away from the wings, and opened Owen Lambe on the right side. Lambe took the ball and sent a beautiful cross where Ryan Doghman found the header. Goalkeeper Alexandros Tambakis blocked it, but the setup was lovely to see so early.
Milan Iloski, celebrating his 24th birthday on game day, had a fantastic chance to score in the 15th minute of play after receiving a pass up the middle. He took a shot at the top of the box that was deflected off a New Mexico defender and stayed on target, but Tambakis made a great stop to keep things even.
Owen Lambe and Ryan Doghman have been crucial in the continued success of the team. Their ability to be box-to-box wingbacks creates so many dangerous chances on goal for Orange County, a perfect example shown when Lambe sent in a brilliant cross that beat the keeper; if it weren't for the New Mexico defender heading it away, it would have been an easy goal. To follow up, Doghman took the corner and gave another close opportunity as Markus Nakkim found the ball with his head narrowly going wide of the net. Those two's ability to cross with such precision is unmatched, creating constant pressure on the opposing defense.
Orange County's own defensive line stayed solid throughout the half and prevented their goalkeeper, Colin Shutler, from being challenged at all. Even when New Mexico had forward momentum, Nakkim and Dillon Powers held down the middle of the box in a way that kept their team in control for 45 minutes. The halftime whistle blew with the score level at 0-0. However, the domination from the boys in orange kept hope strong that they could earn all three points by the end.
SECOND HALF
Credit to New Mexico United for how they came back on the pitch for the second half. Orange County may have been in control of the game early on, but it was clear that their opponents were equipped to make the proper adjustments during halftime to balance out the battle. The key to this is their ability to stop the wingbacks Doghman and Lambe from having the same offensive power they had before. This allowed The United to gain more possession and be more aggressive with their attacking pressure.
After seeing the adjustments from the opposition, Morten Karlsen looked to the bench to try to regain control of the game. Thomas Amang, Ashish Chattha, and Bryce Jamison came on within the first 15 minutes of the half, hoping to add strength and speed to their own offense.
A perilous moment happened when New Mexico got a cross sent into the middle, similar to many of the chances OCSC had in the first half, and striker Daniel Bruce went up for a bicycle kick. His shot had the power to sink in the back of the net but was aimed a little too high to change the momentum of this match.
Only minutes later, Amando Moreno blew right past Orange County's defense with a quick pass back in forth. He finished with the ball at the top of the box and took a rocket of a shot toward the net, causing Shutler to save the day with a brilliant diving stop.
Orange County had their own fantastic team play in the 60th minute, starting with Lambe's pass up the field. Amang showed absolute domination in the opponent's final third with a one-two pass toward the box. The squad controlled the ball but made too many touches and passes at the top of the box, causing the almost magical moment to fizzle out without a shot on target.
Although the team play didn't end up with a goal at that moment, it switched gears for the squad as they took back most possession and looked hungry for the opening goal. The perfect moment came in the 80th minute when Lambe sent a grounded pass toward the outside to a completely open Jamison. The speed of Jamison gave him ample time to decide between taking a shot or looking for a pass. Luckily, he saw Milan on the opposite side, making a run. Jamison sent the ball right in front of the keeper and to Milan's left foot, where he sank the shot and gave Orange County a 1-0 lead.
With six minutes of added time and Orange County in the lead, New Mexico United put all the pressure on for a final frightening attack. They sent a long ball over the heads of OC’s back line to substitute Kyle Colonna. Shutler came far off his line and jumped to stop the danger, hitting the ball but colliding with Colonna in a moment that looked as if it would potentially be a penalty call. Luckily the referee deemed the clash clean, and Orange County walked away with another win at Championship Stadium.
OVERVIEW
Orange County is on fire, and the team's performance is night and day when comparing where they now stand and where they were only a couple of months ago. The key to this change is identity. With the leadership of coach Morten Karlsen, OCSC has found its groove in their ability to capitalize on counterattacks and the strength of their wings. Whether it’s from Lambe, Doghman, or Jamison, the immense speed and crossing dominance have been absolutely critical in the winning streak the team is enjoying.
The rest of this season will continue to push this team to hold on to this strong identity and chemistry as they play some of the best teams in the league. One of which will be on the road to face off against rivals San Diego Loyal next Saturday, August 5th. As long as they keep playing like this though, a top-four spot in the league is within grasp.