Dog Days of Spring

One competition has ended for Orange County but the main competition chugs right along for Orange County who in the regular season are coming off their 2-1 win over Sacramento Republic. This would be a momentous occasion if OC did not bow out in their first game of the Open Cup.

We are already entering into the part of the season where OC is really going to have to dig deep to keep the season from getting out of hand. The offense while scoring at a more consistent rate has still really yet to shine since week 1 of the season. There is however a growing concern that has been noticeable about Orange County SC in the Stone age. They have to do better away from Orange County.

In all competitions since being named head coach, OCSC are only 2-2-3 in away games. Even more harsh is that there are a number of very unfortunate losses including last year's Western Conference semifinals. Of the two away wins those only came against a lowly El Paso Locomotive and needed extra time against Memphis 901 in the playoffs which needed extra time. While the sample size is not the biggest they do have the opportunity to improve on it in what is only their second away game of the season.

THE OPPONENT - OAKLAND ROOTS SC

A bit of a scheduling quirk sees Orange County and Oakland face off already for the second time this season and second time in less than two months. While Orange County have been just about average to begin their season, the same cannot be said about Oakland who have really struggled to win games. Their one win that came in their last league game brought them up to four total points, only enough for last in the West. What has not been good for Oakland was their issue the last time they faced Orange County. Through six games played they have conceded 13 goals which is second worst in the USL. The offense has been about average but not good enough to really make a difference with their goal differential of -6 being tied for the worst in the USL. For reference, Orange County only has a GD of -1 and currently sit 7th in the Western Conference.

Perhaps the biggest storyline surrounding Oakland this season was their historic new home in that of the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. The former home of both the Oakland Athletics and Oakland Raiders has yet to provide the spark for Oakland who are still looking to get their first win there.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

The player for Oakland who has stepped up to the challenge is someone who has already punished Orange County once this season. Wolfgang Prentice does have some ties to the Orange County area. Born in Redondo Beach and playing club soccer with West Coast FC, the left midfielder has been within the Oakland Roots system since 2022 but has been loaned out three times already. Two of those loans were to Forward Madison FC of USL League One and it is there where he has made the most number of appearances at 43. This season is his first full season with the Roots and he comes into the matchup as their number one scorer with three goals in six games.

On the orange side of things, Nico Benalcazar was a late addition in the preseason to the first team but has been quite impactful. At just 23 years old, Nico has already played multiple different positions and has even found himself on the scoresheet. Benalcazar found his way to Orange County via MLSNP where he spent time with both the academy teams of FC Cincinnati and New York City FC. Not a scorer by trait, Nico was able to score off a free kick the last time these two teams played in what ended up being the game winning goal in that game. Due to availability, Nico has had to play at both center back and defensive mid to begin the year and has done a quality job at both. A definite bright spot to begin the year.

PREDICTED STARTING XI

The injury bug might have bit OC once again with Ethan Zubak going down late in the win against Sacramento. We are really having to see the offseason depth acquisitions really have to step up lately with the game against a struggling team being the perfect opportunity to do that.

D.K. Jenks

The biggest void to be filled is at center forward with Zubak’s absence. Thus Keith will plug in Lyam MacKinnon to fill the void. Besides the man up top there should be a normal XI that takes the field in the Bay.

Nathan Wander

I do agree that we will see MacKinnon take the place at center forward for the near future. However I do not believe that Grayson Doody will see the pitch however as he was an early substitution due to injury on Tuesday. In his place came Vuk Latinovich in that game and I think the same will happen on Saturday as well.

THE MATCHUP

This is the second of three games played between Orange County SC and Oakland Roots SC but the last regular season game. These teams will play for a third time in late July again in Oakland as part of the USL Cup group stage. Orange County is looking for their first win on the road this season and vice versa Oakland are looking to win at home for the first time. The all-time series is in favor of OCSC but they will be looking to win in the Bay Area for the first time since 2021. The visitors have had a frustrating time in Oakland the past three seasons with a combination of late game meltdowns and overall lack of cohesion that they will have a chance to fix this Saturday in a rare day game for OCSC.

WHAT TO KNOW

Game - @ Oakland Roots SC (USL Championship)

When - April 19th, 1:00 PM PST

Where - Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum (Oakland, CA)

OCSC Form - LWLLD

OAK Form - LWLDL

All-Time Series - 7-1-4 (12 Matchups)

TV - ESPN+