Entering a New Age of Orange County Soccer
All professional sports are businesses at heart that after some time would like to see some returns made on investments. One of the bigger sources of income that OC possesses is their youth academy. When comparing OCSC’s academy to other USL academies, Orange County has placed themselves into the elite in terms of developing and selling off players for a profit. It is a way of running a club that is proven in other parts of the world and one that OC has looked to establish in a very deep and talented Southern California market.
I have covered the OCSC Academy in depth for a little over a year now but the reason why I am talking about them now is because OC may start to play the younger players just a bit more.
Saturday’s matchup against Memphis 901 comes just three days after Orange County’s 0-2 loss in New Mexico. It has really been a trying time for the club that they will need to put their heads down and fight through if they are to get anything out of this season. As crazy as it may sound Orange County’s 2024 season, barring a massive turnaround, is beginning to creep into a very bad tier. If it were not for Orange County’s uncharacteristic good start to the year then OC would have little to no chance of returning to the playoffs.
So we have a team struggling to even take points from games let alone win and an Academy that has proven to produce talented players. Especially coming off a short week it would not surprise me one bit if Orange County saw meaningful minutes coming from the likes of Ben Barjolo, Ben Norris, Duran Ferree just to name a few. They may get the chance to play against Memphis 901 FC who like New Mexico are on a nice little streak of being unbeaten.
THE OPPONENT - MEMPHIS 901 FC
Like New Mexico, Oakland, Indy and Colorado Springs; Memphis are a team that are firing on all cylinders at the moment. Yes Orange County for a fifth straight game are facing an opponent that is currently in the top five of their respective conference. We knew beforehand that the summer was shaping up to be a gauntlet and it has lived up to the billing. Memphis 901 are on a nice five-game win streak which has seen them not only beat New Mexico but saw them thrash Phoenix 5-1 last Saturday. Putting five past Phoenix set up Memphis to currently lead the Western Conference in goals. The defense as well has also been pretty stout only conceding 21 goals in 17 games which is fourth best in the West. The unbeaten run for Memphis does have a bit of draws for Memphis but they have been able to find the back of the net during their run.
It was expected that Memphis would have a good offense this year but Memphis in a way is playing above expectations. They are very similar to New Mexico in that they are both teams that made big changes in the offseason but have been able to generate success on the field. Memphis who are currently in the Western Conference sit fifth in the West but have the possibility to jump into second at the conclusion of the week.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Leading the 901 attack is Brazilian left winger Marlon. In 17 appearances to this point he has seven goals to go along with five assists. The seven goals lead Memphis in that category while as well as the five assists, also a team leader. Not bad for a first year who has spent time with a number of different clubs both in the USL and abroad. Memphis is his third USL club with the two previous ones being Tulsa and Birmingham. The Birmingham stint is quite ironic in that he is the second forward for Memphis that we have talked about who played for both Birmingham and Memphis, the two clubs that make up the Southern Harm derby. Orange County has had a leaky defense and Memphis will look to pounce on it.
On the orange side of things, Ryan Doghman may be one of the more technical players for OC. When he is on the field that is. It has not been the easiest of years for Ryan having only made six appearances for the Orange and Black. Yet when he is able to play then his impact on the game is seen. It shows in the stats as he already has two assists with just the six games in hand in league play. This is all coming from the left-back position. He has been slowly making his way back into the starting XI and OC would greatly appreciate having him back in an everyday role.
THE MATCHUP
The first these two teams played OC came away the victors in a textbook 2-0 win in Memphis. That game saw a Colin Shutler clean sheet that was made even better by strikes from Brian Iloski and Thomas Amang. Memphis will be facing a different OC this time around which they wish would be in their favor. In three previous appearances including once in Orange County, Memphis have yet to take all three points from Orange County. The single point that 901 did take was in the first ever matchup back in 2022. That game took place in OC and saw both teams take home a point. The second half of the USL for OC begins on Saturday and they have some work to do to return to the postseason.
WHAT TO KNOW
Game - vs Memphis 901 FC (USL Championship)
When - July 6th, 7:00 PM PST
Where - Championship Soccer Stadium (Irvine, CA)
OCSC Form - LLWLL
MEM Form - WDWDD
All-Time Matchup - 2-1-0 (3 Matches)
TV - Bally Sports SoCal, CBS Sports Golazo
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