Orange County Return Home to Face Lackluster Locomotive
There is a bit of a saying in sports where teams wish to get the opportunity to play meaningful home games late in the season. This is definitely a game that fits that criteria. As part of the surge up the standings that OC has found themselves comes the chance to beef up the numbers by playing teams who may be floundering and trying to find their footing before the final stretch. El Paso can also fit that criteria as a team.
While we all know about the turn of form that Orange County were able to pull off, the Locomotive have found themselves on the other end of it. In their last 12 games, El Paso have won once. Now one might think that they could be drawing a lot of games but that is not the case either as they have drawn 3 of them. Between the last game they drew and their only win in that span, which came two weeks ago, they had lost five consecutive games. This is a team that has completely fallen off the tracks but will be hungry to get points.
Orange County actually made a late-season transfer this past weekend. Announced on the eve of the game was the signing of GK Eric Lopez from Austin FC II of the MLS Next Pro League. Lopez is an OC native hailing from the city of Westminster. His career has been spent with MLS academy teams but he might be best known for his time with LA Galaxy II.
On the field it has been business as usual for the Orange and Black. They are on a current 8-game winning streak and will look to add to their league-best run of form. OC are currently third place in the West but do have a game in hand on the top two teams San Antonio and Sacramento.
THE OPPONENT - EL PASO LOCOMOTIVE FC
When these two teams met earlier in the season in a game in West Texas they were both in early season slumps. Then El Paso would shoot up to the top of the table. This however did not translate well. In fact it really has turned into a nightmare of a season for an El Paso team that did have playoff ambitions at the beginning. While they still are technically in the playoff mix, they still also have to play all of OC, Sacramento, Charleston, Oakland, Memphis, and San Diego before it is all said and done. Head coach Brian Clarhaut is going to have his work cut out for him.
The run of form is problematic for a number of different reasons but what stands out the most in the defense. During the aforementioned five game losing streak they allowed 20 goals or about 4 goals A GAME. This included letting in 5 against Rio Grande Valley and 4 to Miami FC; teams that are both currently not in playoff contention. The Miami game which finished as a 0-4 loss was promptly followed up with a 0-5 loss against Phoenix.
El Paso are not in must-win mode just yet, and they do have a number of quality players, but the question will be if they can salvage their season in time to at least make the playoffs.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
As mentioned before, El Paso do have a number of pieces that exude quality. The main one to look out for will be Petar Petrovic. The Swedish midfielder has made 17 appearances for El Paso and has 5 goals along with two helpers. Petrovic was the main source of offense in El Paso’s last game, a 1-2 loss at Monterey Bay. This is his first year in West Texas after a lengthy spell across multiple European clubs. Likewise Orange County must keep in check that of fellow midfielder Denys Kostyshyn who is in a bit of a slump with regards to finding assists. He has gone 6 straight games without a goal contribution and OC will look to make it 7. Former OC Championship team member Eric Calvillo will not be in the lineup on Saturday.
On the orange side of things, it is time for an update on last year’s golden boot winner Milan Iloski. With 12 goals on the season that puts Milan tied for 6th with Cal Jennings of the Tampa Bay Rowdies and 3 goals back of tying Danny Trejo at 15 for the golden boot. Ahead of Milan is a Phoenix Rising duo in that of Manuel Arteaga (14) and the current golden boot leader Danny Trejo (15). There is a 3-way tie for second with Sacramento’s Russell Cicerone and Pittsburgh’s Albert Dikwa joining Arteaga at 14 goals. Then in third comes Tani Oluwaseyi of San Antonio with 13 goals. The good news is that Milan has not had to score all of the goals like last season for OC. This year the likes of Thomas Amang and Marc McNulty have also gotten on the score sheet. This comes along with youngsters like Osundina and Jamison getting in the mix as well. The goals have come pretty consistently for Milan with his longest drought only being four games. The biggest difference from last season has been the absence of multi-goal games; Milan has not scored multiple goals in a game all season.
THE MATCHUP
This will be the 8th matchup all-time between these two clubs with each game having come during the regular season. This is a series that for the most part has been dominated by El Paso. In the previous 7 games, Orange County has only won once. However, to make it more interesting, El Paso has never won in Orange County. That means that the home teams have dominated and that bodes well for OC. The last time these two teams played came in April in El Paso and saw the Locomotive come away with a 1-0 victory with Luis Solignac scoring the only goal. Orange County have won a current season best 8 straight games which is already a club record.
WHAT TO KNOW
Game - vs El Paso Locomotive FC (USL Championship) When - September 9, 7:00 PM PST
Where - Championship Soccer Stadium (Irvine, CA)
OCSC Form - WWWWW
ELP Form - LWLLL
All-Time Matchup - 1-3-3
TV - ESPN+, Bally Sports SoCal