As we head into match week five, Orange County SC sit atop the Western Conference. But it hasn’t been smooth sailing: OC are already without three of their four starting defenders from last year, and Kyle Scott made his first appearance in a brief cameo last weekend. Thankfully, seven different goalscorers have stepped up to ease the pressure and secure a pair of wins. The latest win largely in part to Sofiane Djeffal’s strike on top of a good performance from Colin Shutler.
Orange County will look for a fifth consecutive positive result when they face Memphis 901 FC. In club history, OC have only gone undefeated through their first five games only once: back in 2020.
THE OPPONENT - MEMPHIS 901 FC
It has been the season of change for 901. Memphis 901 will play their first season in the Western Conference after five years in the East.
To commemorate their change in conferences, Memphis have made a number of changes to their team. This last off-season saw the departures of Aaron Molloy, Graham Smith, Rodrigo Da Costa and Jeremy Kelly. With so much change, Memphis has their work cut out for them if they are to return to the postseason.
Yet head coach Stephen Glass did do some work to better his squad. The biggest of these is the acquisition of forward Neco Brett (Birmingham Legion). Brett is a USL veteran who is third on the all-time scoring list and logged 12 goals last season.
Through three league games, Memphis are 1-0-2 and on a current two-game skid. The 901’s lone win came opening week against Las Vegas, before falling in succession to Indy and Sacramento. Memphis are an offensive-minded team, with much of their talent in the front three. The defense last season was, simply, not very good.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Journeyman Neco Brett was the big off-season acquisition, yet Nighte Pickering is the most intriguing player to watch for Memphis. The 19-year-old is poised to be in the running for USL Young Player of the Year if he can maintain his 2023 productivity, which saw him score four goals while assisting in four. Pickering already has a goal to his name and will look to add to that tally against a depleted OC back line.
The goalscorer himself on his way to celebrate with some friends in attendance. Photo courtesy of Orange County SC.
For OC, we are focusing on the latest goal scorer, French midfielder Sofiane Djeffal. Born in the Nantes, Djeffal spent two years in MLS, making thirty five appearances in the top flight before joining OC. Djeffal’s goal against Tulsa was his first professional goal, but more importantly to the team: he is one of a few players to have played in all 360 minutes of the season. With the amount of injuries that OC have sustained, Djeffal has become one of Karlsen’s most important pieces to the starting XI, and one of the most important pieces in OC’s attack.
THE MATCH UP
This will only be the third ever match up between the two clubs. Both teams drew 1-1 in 2022, before Orange County won last year’s comeback thriller 4-3.
Orange County, with a positive result, will claim the second best start in club history, and best since 2020.
WHAT TO KNOW
Game - @ Memphis 901 FC (USL Championship)
When - April 6, 1:00 PM PST
Where - AutoZone Park (Memphis, TN)
OCSC Form - WDWD
MEM Form - LLW
All-Time Matchup - 1-0-1
TV - ESPN+