Orange County cannot afford to lose many more games. They are not in any must-win scenarios yet, but their difficulty earning draws may come back to haunt them in the end. It really is a boom or bust game plan for Orange County SC in recent games.
In the first six games of the season, OC was able to draw in three of them. They have not drawn a game since. In fact, OC are currently on their third longest gap between draws, with 16 games since the last draw. The longest streak in club history is 31 consecutive games,from August 4th of 2013 until August 29 of 2014, the Los Angeles and Orange County Blues did not draw with anyone.
Back to this year, I still am very much in favor of the opinion that the remaining schedule for Orange County SC is easy enough to clinch a playoff spot. There are a number of favorable games at home and not many challenging away trips. We are still a ways away from having to worry about other score lines, but at the moment OC are sitting at seventh in the West with the playoff field beginning to get a bit more clear.
As OC has only two road wins this year, if the club is to earn points, then they will need to win, and those wins have to come in Irvine. So a team that cannot draw and only wins at home will need to do just that when they face North Carolina FC for the first time in club history.
THE OPPONENT - NORTH CAROLINA FC
When looking at Orange County’s schedule this match up immediately caught my eye. The story of North Carolina FC is a very fascinating one that has seen the club see both self-relegate and self-promote while being one of the few USL clubs to predate the current USL Championship.
The story begins in 2006 with the Carolina RailHawks being created as a member of the USL First Division. However they would leave the USL a couple years later and join the upstart NASL, which, at the time consisted of some pretty notable teams like Montreal Impact, Vancouver Whitecaps and the Tampa Bay Rowdies. They would remain in the NASL until 2018, when they rejoined the USL.
Round two of USL play had very mixed results that would ultimately see them make a “strategic move” down to USL League One before the 2021 season. This move may have been the right choice as they were able to win their first league title in 2023 and rewarded themselves by self-promoting back to the USL Championship for the 2024 season.
For those keeping score at home that is one title in 17 years across four different leagues.
If we look at North Carolina FC’s current season, it is just about average. After winning the 2023 League One title, expectations remained somewhat high for a team that made a number of improvements to the roster ahead of their return. North Carolina added a number of USLC veterans including Paco Craig, Rodrigo Da Costa as well as Collin Martin. However, the results have been very inconsistent.
North Carolina currently sits outside the Eastern Conference playoffs in ninth and four points behind Loudoun for the final spot. The offense has not been a strength and it has been a problem at the worst possible time. North Carolina have just two wins in their last eight matches which is not ideal for a team looking towards the postseason. Head coach John Bradford’s side can ill-afford to lose more ground in what has become a pretty crowded Eastern Conference.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
North Carolina FC are league champions, albeit for a completely different league.
But one of those heroes for them was right back Mikey Maldonado. Maldonado has played at both the backline as well as the midfield and was able to score his third goal of the season in their 2-1 defeat against Rhode Island. Maldonado has made 19 appearances for NCFC this year. His three goals are the most he has ever scored in a season.
On the orange side of things, it is a loanee that is the focus for this match. In the last two weeks, it was Tomas Gomez. But this week, Chis Hegardt will look to make his third appearance in three opportunities. The midfielder is a San Diego native and comes to OC via loan from Norwegian club Stabæk. In his first apperance, Hegardt played well alongside Kyle Scott and looked threatening. It is not uncommon for OC to have its loans to have an impact on their season and OC will hope to see both of theirs continue that trend.
THE MATCH UP
It is a match up nearly 15 years in the making but Saturday will mark the first time that Orange County SC and North Carolina FC will meet head to head. It also comes at a pivotal time for both clubs in what is essentially a must-win game for Orange County.
OC, who have done much better at home than on the road, cannot settle for anything less than three points. The same could be said for North Carolina if they are to keep track with clubs like Loudoun, Rhode Island and Detroit.
WHAT TO KNOW
Game - vs North Carolina FC (USL Championship)
When - August 3rd, 7:00 PM PST
Where - Championship Soccer Stadium (Irvine, CA)
OCSC Form - LWLWL
NCFC Form - LDDWL
All-Time Matchup - 0-0-0
TV - Bally Sports SoCal, ESPN+