Orange County End Hopeful July With Trip to Alabama
The Orange County front office had a lot on their plate in the month of July. They saw departures of players but answered by bringing in some much needed reinforcements to help with the late season surge into the postseason. OCSC saw loans number two and three make their first appearance in that of Chris Hegardt and Tomas Gomez. Both players had a positive impact on the game with Gomez in particular playing exceptionally well enough to earn a clean sheet.
It was a huge win overall for Orange County over Western Conference foe San Antonio FC that saw OC thrusted back above the playoff line. As always seems to be the case the West is really congested with average to great teams which makes Western Conference games doubly important. However OC will take a break from the West when they travel this weekend to Birmingham, Alabama to take on the Legion who are in a very similar position to OC. Orange County has proven to be a good team at home however there are still some questions about games played away from home.
THE OPPONENT - BIRMINGHAM LEGION FC
Birmingham was a projected postseason team before the season began in what is a pretty safe bet to make. A club that has made the postseason in each and every season of play since their first game in 2019 should continue that streak in 2024 as well. As it stands the Legion see themselves fifth in the Eastern Conference and have put themselves in a position for them to control their own destiny. While the first seed in the East is likely out of reach, the chance to host a playoff game is still very much a possibility. However it was a fairly quiet offseason that saw a number of offensive pieces depart. It has shown too with their 22 goals scored the lowest of any team in playoff position in the East and second lowest among playoff position teams in the entire USL. Even the defense has not been the most impressive either having conceded 28 to this point. For a team sitting in fifth it has not been the best of stretches by any mark for the Legion. With just three wins in their last eleven matches they are going to have to start finding ways to go for all three points and not settle for draws.
Likewise their scorelines in games have been all over the place. One week they beat San Antonio 3-0 then another they lose to Memphis by the same scoreline. However when doing homework on the Legion one thing that sticks out is their very respectable record against the Western Conference. In eight games to this point the Legion have a 4-3-1 record against western opponents. That includes playing New Mexico, Sacramento and Colorado Springs; all games they took at least a point from. For reference OC against the East this year is just 3-1-3. The key to games for Birmingham is if they are able to get their offense going. It is a bit streaky in that department where they often depend on them scoring two goals or more to earn points. This will be a matchup between two teams in almost identical positions in their respective conferences.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Take this in however way you want it but the leading goal scorer for Birmingham is a three way tie for first with each of them only having scored three goals. All of those players have each made at minimum 15 appearances to this point too. To put that into comparison the leading goal scorer for Orange County is Thomas Amang with 5 goals in just 13 appearances. No player really has stood out as the one to watch. When this happens I usually look at the goalkeeper however they have had five different people at that position as well. Matt Van Oekel has the most appearances yet it has been Trevor Spangenberg who has gotten the nod the past three nods. Spangenberg has been with the Legion for their entire existence in what has been a healthy career. The Legion are his fifth professional side across both the United States and Puerto Rico. Again he has only made three starts this year however he is a veteran of the league and will look to lead the Legion.
On the orange side of things we are going to look at the newest keeper for OC Tomas Gomez. Gomez comes on loan from Real Salt Lake and made a spot start for OC in their 2-0 win last weekend while making four saves en route to a clean sheet. What makes the game more special is that it was the first professional appearance for Gomez since July of last year. Gomez himself has also had a long career within professional American soccer with OC being his fourth stop in the USL. Orange County seems to have a heap of talent at goalkeeper which is not something that can always be said.
THE MATCHUP
Both sides are playing with something to prove especially Birmingham who have not done particularly well at home. They have a weak 3-5-1 record in Protective Stadium. OC are not too much better on the road so this is a game that someone has to step up. Looking at the matchup between these two clubs historically does not shed much light either as there has just been a singular game that occurred last year. In the first and only game, Birmingham was able to win 2-1 in Orange County. Both sides are in very similar shape where any result could go a very long way in the end. For Orange County in their 14-year existence as a franchise will be playing for the first time in the state of Alabama, their 25th state all-time.
WHAT TO KNOW
Game - @ Birmingham Legion FC (USL Championship)
When - July 27th, 4:30 PM PST
Where - Protective Stadium (Birmingham, AL)
OCSC Form - WLWLL
BIR Form - DLWLL
All-Time Matchup - 0-0-1 (1 Matchup)
TV - ESPN+
Editor: Dylan and Brad talked to a couple Legion folks yesterday. You can check it out here: