FIRST HALF
The back line had a shake-up in this match, as Markus Nakkim and Ryan Doghman were missing entirely from the lineup, causing some worry about the defensive prowess that Orange County SC has been known for. Ashish Chattha filled in as the left-sided fullback, giving him his first start to the season. Another first to the starting XI was Cameron Dunbar, replacing Bryce Jamison on the left wing after his fantastic goal in Pittsburgh.
Miami took control of the match early on due to some sloppy giveaways from the boys in orange and black, but some solid pressure from Brian Iloski provided their first dangerous attacking move. Iloski won the ball in midfield from a deflected pass, which found Seth Casiple in the center of the pitch. As Casiple quickly took the ball into the final third, OCSC’s turnover caught Miami off balance, and he was tactically fouled by defender Alejandro Mitrano, who earned the night’s first booking.
Sofiane Djeffal stepped up to take the free kick and floated a cross to the far post. Andrew Fox met the ball and did well to bring it down under pressure, but the defender sent his shot just wide of the goal.
From there, Miami began to dominate again. A poor giveaway from OC gifted the ball to Frank Lopez just outside the OC box; he flicked a pass to his right and found Allen Gavilanes in plenty of space. Gavilanes took a touch back towards the middle of the pitch before he fired a low shot past Colin Shutler at the near post, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead in the 12th minute.
Orange County SC had it all to do after conceding early, but their strategy for moving the ball up the pitch offered hope. Instead of sending long balls up the field, OC returned to passing through the midfield, akin to their 2023 success, and the change gave OC some much-needed authority over the pace of play.
In the 33rd minute, Orange County earned a corner kick, which Iloski stepped up to take. He sent a perfect cross toward the far post. Ashton Miles ran forward, leapt over his defenders and headed down across goal, netting the equalizer with the first goal of his professional career.
Orange County continued to control the game for the majority of the first half, pushing into their opponent's final third and looking to take the lead. However, Gavilanes and Miami struck again. After another giveaway in midfield, the forward capitalized on the chaos and took a shot from 30 yards out. Shutler was off-balance, and while he did well to get a hand to it, the shot still had enough pace to skip past and put Miami back in the lead.
SECOND HALF
Within the first ten minutes of the second half, the boys in orange and black had solid chances on goal, but nothing that came to fruition.
In the 54th minute, Morten Karlsen ordered the first two changes: Thomas Amang for Seth Casiple, and Christian Sorto for Kevin Partida.
Miami's best chance of the half came soon thereafter. Nearly identical to OC’s goal: a corner to the far post, the ensuing header beat Shutler, but Fox, backing his keeper up, headed the ball away on the goal line.
But OC answered with chances of their own. As Miami gave the ball away, Amang broke quickly through the Miami defense, took a touch, and fired towards goal. Gagliardi did well to block the effort, but showed that OC and Amang were eager and capable of threatening on goal even against the run of play.
Just past the hour mark, Sorto whipped a cross in from the left. Amang met it well and sent his header towards goal, but another great save by Gagliardi denied Orange County.
But Amang and OC again showed their prowess for set-piece goals. Iloski took the corner again, this time finding the middle of the box. Gagliardi came off of his line but could not collect. Daltyn Knutson, under considerable pressure, could not clear either, and the ball finally found Amang, who headed home coolly to level the scoreline at 2-2.
Thomas Amang (center) celebrates his first goal of the 2024 season. Amang’s goal ultimately earned OC a point, keeping them on top of the Western Conference. Photo courtesy of Orange County SC
In the 80th minute, some more subs took to the pitch. Jamison came on for Zubak. Unfortunately, as the change was happening, Sorto went down injured after a hard tackle before the ball went out of play. The substitute, despite his brilliance, was taken off with a bandaged leg. In his place, Ryan Ayoub came on to make his professional debut, just days after just being signed to the academy team.
While OC continued to push forward in search of the lead, there were no late heroics this week, and the match finished in a 2-2 draw.
OVERVIEW:
It was a frustrating first half, and it will be anytime OC concedes twice. Worse, the goals conceded were the results of sloppy play.
However, this squad's fight and ability throughout the 90 minutes shows that even with a few absences, Orange County still has the potential to dominate the game. The first 15 minutes were rough, but after that, the squad found their chemistry and began to showcase last season’s brilliance with their passing and offensive pressure. According to Karlsen, "Tonight showed our ability to adapt… a last-minute change in the lineup and have [sic] a new player completely at left back and a couple of our experienced players also out. Kyle, Dillon, Markus, and Ryan are all out.”
The match may have ended in a draw, but this was the best performance the boys in orange and black of the year so far, which should excite everyone for their potential as the season continues.
Orange County SC's next match will be at home next Saturday, March 30th, at 7 p.m., when they face off against Tulsa FC.