FIRST HALF:
Orange County SC has had a mixed bag of results in July. So far, the boys in orange and black have only been able to score (and thus win) while at home in Irvine. Nevertheless, they took to the road again, hoping to change that pattern against Birmingham Legion FC.
The lineup was identical to last week's, with Tomas Gomez taking the starting position between the sticks after his fantastic performance last week, which earned him a spot on USL's Team of the Week.
Kyle Scott earned a reckless early yellow card in the second minute after kicking the ball away during a Birmingham free kick. Scott's choice was foolish, as he would have to continue the rest of the match with extreme caution.
Although Orange County was able to dominate most of the possession within the first 20 minutes of the match, they could not find their way into the final third to produce a shot on target. Legion's midfield was fantastic in shutting down OCSC's attack. The bright side for OCSC was their defense, which kept the ball away from the box, keeping their opponents from gaining any ground as well.
The first shot of the evening came from a free kick for Birmingham just outside the box. A.J. Patterson sent a rocket toward the goal, but Gomez was able to make the stop to keep things level.
A few minutes later, Ethan Zubak nearly found the opening goal. Scott got the ball in the middle of the pitch and sent a phenomenal through ball into the box, where Bryce Jamison made a run. He got to the ball first and made a touch right before the defenders swarmed him. Zubak was completely open on the left side to take a shot. His effort first looked like a beautiful attempt toward the far post, but unfortunately, the ball smacked into the woodwork.
Zubak had another golden opportunity to score moments later. Again, Scott set up the play with another perfect pass to Jamison on the right side. Jamison crossed it into Zubak in the six. He tried to flick it in, but Matt Van Oekel made a great stop. There was a rebound that Ryan Flood tried to collect and shoot, but his chance went soaring over the net.
The County Boys tried to keep the momentum going, having a few more rushes into the box, but they could not find another shot on target. Birmingham almost opened the scoreline when Dawson McCartney received the ball at the top of the box. He made a quick turn and buried the ball into the back of the net; however, the goal was disallowed due to handling, and the first half ended at 0-0.
SECOND HALF:
Based on the performance from the first half, it seemed inevitable that Orange County would score their first away goal in a month. They held possession well with smart passing all around the pitch, and a few near chances on goal left things hopeful that they could find the victory.
Unfortunately, those hopes were dashed early on as Birmingham Legion started the second half on the front foot, getting into the box a couple of times within the first five minutes. Gomez and the defense were able to make some crucial clearances, but they couldn't keep the Legion at bay for long.
In the 51st minute, Birmingham started the attack with a brilliant switch to the left side. McCartney took the ball to the end line and sent a cross into the center, where Stefano Pinho volleyed the shot past Gomez to open the scoring.
OCSC tried to capitalize on their set-piece magic with a corner kick soon after. Flood took the corner, and the ball bounced around in the box a few times before eventually getting sent out toward the edge. Markus Nakkim tried a volley himself, but it went directly into the arms of Van Oekel.
After that attempt, Orange County was on the back foot for most of the remaining match. Chris Hegardt and Cameron Dunbar came in as subs to boost the attacking midfield pressure, but they couldn't find the right chances to make much of a difference.
Mistakes in their own final third left Orange County most vulnerable. Ben Norris missed a pass a few yards outside the box, and Tabort Preston was free to take a shot from far out. He sent it to the far post, forcing Gomez to make an excellent diving save.
Gomez made some huge stops to keep things from getting out of hand for the boys in orange and black, but a keeper can only do so much when bombarded by the opposing offense.
The nail in OCSC's coffin came when Tyler Pasher entered the match as a sub. In the 89th minute, after the ball was given away once again, Pasher had acres of space in front of him. He took the ball into the box and passed across the center, where Pinho was easily able to tap in a second goal.
Then, in added time, Birmingham made it a slaughter with an almost identical goal. This time, Preston on the right side beat the backline and passed it across the six to Pasher, who tapped in the third goal. The Legion dominated the second half and won 3-0.
OVERVIEW:
There were too many chances that were nearly a goal for Orange County SC, but getting close was not enough to earn all three points. This scoreless loss against Birmingham Legion FC would mark the third time this month that OCSC could not find the back of the net on the road.
Despite the scoreline, Tomas Gomez gave another fantastic performance, but his backline let him down. They could not find a solution to their opponents' crosses, which resulted in all three goals.
Luckily, the County Boys are back home next week, August 3rd, where they will host North Carolina FC at Championship Stadium. They have had much better luck while playing in Irvine; however, gaining some points while on the road will be necessary if Orange County SC wants to secure a playoff spot this season.