Wild, Wild Western Conference
There is no sugar coating it.
Orange County SC need to beat San Antonio FC at home on Wednesday. There is no reason to worry about other games when none of it matters in regards to how Orange County do with their last 3 home games of the season. This is the last game in hand for OC who will face off against San Antonio for the second time in two months.
Orange County’s offense finally reawakened last week in New Mexico but they still could not muster 3 points with the defense this time being suspect. Officially OC sit two points behind Colorado Springs for the 8th and final spot in the Western Conference playoffs. They are still in the midst of a lengthy winless streak of games now totaling 9 games.
However there were a number of positives to take away from last weekend including the breakout for Tristan Trager who finally looked like the star forward from his days in Monterey. Stephen Kelly even got on the scoresheet. It was a high scoring game in a tough environment and a good effort overall. The game was a step in the right direction and it must have been the final step as this week it was announced that head coach Danny Stone would return as manager in 2026.
THE OPPONENT - SAN ANTONIO FC
San Antonio are in much better position for the postseason where their only concern coming into this game will be looking to get a home playoff game. This game was originally scheduled to take place in August but got moved back in the season because San Antonio advanced further in the League Cup. This is why OC has 3 straight home games in a span of 10 days. In the earlier pregame analysis of this team it was stated that San Antonio is doing well because of their offense. That was definitely the case a couple weeks ago when San Antonio easily dispatched OC with a 3-1 scoreline in the first meeting of the season.
After tonight San Antonio will keep traveling to Phoenix for a big game for Orange County’s concerns. Then they wrap up the regular season with a very important game at home against El Paso who are currently just 3 points above them for the 4th seed in the West. The top four teams get a home playoff game.
But San Antonio since that 3-1 win in September have since gone three games winless including a 0-0 draw to already eliminated Birmingham Legion at home on Saturday. That offense that has been dangerous this season? Shut out in that same span. A bit of a sputter to end the season that OC will wish to capitalize on.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Jorge Hernandez was the main focus last San Antonio recap and for his efforts against OC and in the month of September he was awarded the USL player of the month award. But it is the keeper in net for San Antonio that does have a bit of pedigree who could be the main focus this time. Richard Sanchez has had quite the lengthy career now in professional soccer making his first appearance in 2011. Sanchez may best be known as the keeper for Chicago Fire in the mid 2010s. Sanchez is an MLS product who with the aforementioned Fire has also had stints with Sporting Kansas City and FC Dallas. However since 2021 Sanchez has joined the ranks of the USL with some shorter stints at clubs like North Texas SC, Los Dos, Hartford and a whopping 3 appearances with Memphis 901. But 2025 has seen him break 20 appearances in a single season for the first time since his Chicago Fire days and he is the option moving forward for San Antonio. He does not have the flashiest of stats with him either earning a clean sheet or conceding two goals.
On the orange side of things, if Tristan Trager can score just one goal on Wednesday then he will be tied for second amongst forwards in OC for goals scored on the season. Yes, with his first half brace on Wednesday, Trager finally broke the seal on 2025 and it could not have come at a better time. It is still just his fourth season as a full-time professional for a forward who will not necessarily light up the stat sheet but of note is that Trager is one assist away from a season high. He is also closing in on 100 USL appearances and would need two postseason games this season to reach it. Every goal matters so anyone who contributes at the moment will get the minutes.
PREDICTED STARTING XI
Tom Brewitt could return back to the lineup which would be a massive addition. The offense should remain relatively untouched with OC seeing three different players named to the USL team of the week (Trager, Hegardt, Kelly). It is not the case that OC are not getting good scoring opportunities but rather OC have had trouble finishing them. That was not the case on Saturday and I am hoping they have figured it out in time for the final stretch.
THE MATCHUP
Has the season gone exactly as planned for OC? Not really. But one thing that has remained a bit consistent under the current regime is that OC is a tough opponent to beat when they are in Orange County. In 2025 alone, they have only suffered two home defeats all season. Both of those losses were not relatively close either being 0-3 losses early in the season with the last one being in May against New Mexico. The current two home losses would be the least since the abbreviated covid season in 2020 when they had just one home loss. It is the same narrative as last time when looking at the all-time series. In fact in the regular season these two teams are a perfect 5-5-5 since 2016. OC has won the only postseason meeting between the two clubs so they currently hold the slight advantage in that category.
WHAT TO KNOW
Game - vs San Antonio FC (USL Championship)
When - October 15th, 7:00 PM PST
Where - Championship Soccer Stadium (Irvine, CA)
OCSC Form - DDLDL
SAFC Form - LLDWW
All-Time Series - 6-5-5 (16 Games)
TV - FanDuel Sports SoCal, ESPN+, KCAL+