The beginning to the 2024 season has been a rigorous one for the boys in orange. Through nine games they have four wins, three draws and two losses to put them in the upper half of the Western Conference table. Yet we cannot say that Orange County is in the best of form, nor can we say they are in the same tier of some of the teams they have recently faced.

However this is still a quality team when all of its pieces are available for selection. That unfortunately is not something that has yet to occur, with nearly every single starter already missing some game time. Of the starting 11 that started in last season’s playoff game against Phoenix, only three of them have been able to play in every game of 2024. Those three are Brian Iloski, Thomas Amang and Owen Lambe.

Orange County have found some reliable additions in guys like Sofiane Djeffal and Christian Sorto, along with Ashton Miles coming up from the academy, but we have yet to see Orange County at full strength.

It is good that the season is a marathon rather than a sprint.

Even with all of this adversity Orange County is still tied for third in the West. They can further improve on this mark when they travel up the California coast to take on Oakland Roots SC.

THE OPPONENT - OAKLAND ROOTS SC

It has been a disappointing start to the season for Oakland. The off season was spent mostly rebuilding the back line after both Barbir and Klimenta departed. But to say that the defense has improved would be a lie. They have conceded 18 goals in 10 games played, the second worst mark in the West. This includes nine in their last four games. This is a team that has not won a league game since April 13 and have only won twice in 2024. They have had a bit of a tough schedule to begin the year, but shutout losses to Colorado Springs and Las Vegas do not help their case.

Oakland has also had the issue of finishing games with all 11 of its players on the field. Including USL and US Open Cup games, Oakland have had a man (or two) sent off in four different games. For a comparison, Orange County (and nine other teams) have zero red cards in league play.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Oakland has struggled to not only keep goals out of their net and they are not scoring enough goals to counter it. In fact there ten goals scored all year have been from a combination of eight different players. Johnny Rodriguez is the leading goal scorer, with three. Rodriguez was the leading goal-scorer last year, with 12 goals, as Oakland fell just short of the playoff places.

On the orange side of things, it is going to be about one of the aforementioned OC forwards who has made an appearance in each and every game of 2024. This is Brian Iloski’s fifth year with Orange County SC and this year has come with some accolades. In addition to winning it all in 2022, he is the all-time leader in appearances for the club (with 106) and is currently the second-highest goalscorer on the team.

THE MATCH UP

Both teams are looking for a bit more with Oakland especially needing more results. Former head coach Noah Delgado was relieved of his duties after their 0-2 defeat against Colorado Springs, with assistant coach Gavin Glinton taking the spot in an interim role. He is still looking for his first victory.

For Orange County they need to bounce back after a pair of disappointing losses. This will be the fourth consecutive season that OC and Oakland will face off. In nine games across all competitions, Orange County have the advantage with a 6-1-2 record. This includes the 20222 Western Conference Semifinals when Orange County advanced past Oakland via penalties. In 2023, these two teams split the series with each team winning easily in their home stadiums.

WHAT TO KNOW

Game - @ Oakland Roots SC (USL Championship)
When - May 18 18, 7:00 PM PST
Where - CSUEB Pioneer Stadium (Hayward, CA)
OCSC Form - LLWLD
OAK Form - LLDLL
All-Time Matchup - 6-1-2
TV - ESPN+