Original-3 Matchup For Mid-Table Teams
In the USL, one month can change a lot of things for a franchise. The months of April and May were not good for OC and they were left with a lot of questions to ask of themselves. Then the summer began and Orange County looked pretty decent in June and July. The defense is the biggest catalyst for this turnaround. There was a point in the season where we wondered if it was possible for Orange County to get any clean sheets. They have since then gotten a clean sheet in 5 of 7 competitive games.
This team's best performance is better than other teams best performances and we have seen that in the games against Oakland, El Paso, Las Vegas and most recently against Phoenix where Orange County’s 4-1 victory over Phoenix was its biggest since the 2015 season. Every season milestone has now been accomplished and Orange County can now shift all of their focus to the league.
The Western Conference has now seen a true number one begin to create space from the rest of the conference with FC Tulsa getting a 8 point lead over second place Sacramento. As for the rest of us, it is still a bloodbath. Orange County being only five points ahead of last place Las Vegas are simultaneously only four points behind Sacramento for second place. This makes every single league game that much more important, regardless of who or where it is.
THE OPPONENT - PITTSBURGH RIVERHOUNDS SC
Pittsburgh for a very long time has been a very consistent team that has always found ways to qualify for the postseason. Dating back to the 2018 season they have seven straight playoff appearances and should be on track for its eighth if everything goes to plan. Getting to the postseason is what Pittsburgh is good at. Getting past the quarterfinals has been Pittsburgh’s kryptonite. In fact the last time Pittsburgh made a semifinals appearance was back in 2010, the LA Blues would be established a year later. Also since 2018, Pittsburgh has had the same manager in Bob Lilley. Lilleyball is best described as a low block with a single forward up front doing most of the damage.
But historically speaking, Orange County has been a thorn in the side of Pittsburgh. In the same way that Orange County has not done very well against New Mexico, Orange County has a 6-2-1 record against Pittsburgh all time. The only time that Pittsburgh managed to get all three points was in 2014. This season has been very stereotypical for Pittsburgh who sit 5th in the Eastern Conference and employ the second best defense in the East. As such the offense is not very good. But Pittsburgh are playing very well at the moment having gone undefeated in their last six league games. Like Orange County, they only have the USL left to compete for and are looking to truly go on a meaningful playoff run.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Longtime USL veteran Augustine Williams is in his first season with Pittsburgh and has not had the most impressive season, only scoring four goals in 18 league appearances. But his fourth goal of the season scored last week against Rhode Island was a momentous one at that. Against Rhode Island Augustine Williams scored his 80th goal in the USL Championship regular season becoming just the fourth player all time to do so. He joins Dane Kelly, Cameron Lancaster and Neco Brett in the club and he ranks second in goals scored in the 2020s only behind Cal Jennings. Williams has had at least 10 goals scored in the last three seasons and will need six more to reach it in 2025.
On the orange side of things, we have reached the point in the season where each and every single player has gotten the spotlight. So now we are starting to do repeats and see just how the 2025 season has gone and for Chris Hegardt he has really begun to carve a space into the OC starting XI. For one thing, Hegardt has already doubled his assist total and was a key part in defeating Phoenix. But perhaps the craziest stat is the fact that Chris Hegardt is only 23 years old.
PREDICTED STARTING XI
Orange County can field a competitive lineup and have really gotten quite lucky as far as injuries go. There have been a couple of untimely departures but for the most part it has been the same core that has done the heavy lifting for OC. Three similar but slightly different lineups this time from Orange County’s finest.
Larry gets us started and for the most part we are looking at the same lineup from last week against Phoenix. The only key difference is that Vuk comes into the center back position for Nico and Bryce Jamison gets rewarded for his goal last week starting ahead of War. As such Ethan Zubak is also finding consistent form again and will get the start as the striker which is really his position to lose.
Dylan has nearly the exact same lineup as the one above but instead thinks that Aston Miles will get the start ahead of Vuk with Ashton having garnered clean sheets in his last two appearances.
To finish it off, D.K. slots in Cameron Dunbar for Bryce Jamison. This is really a good problem to have for Orange County who have a good problem on their hands when it comes to picking a backline as well as an offensive midfield. So much so that it resulted in the loaning out of Benjamin Barjolo to League One side Union Omaha for the remainder of the season. If there is one area that could use some depth would be the defensive midfield however I am sure that there is a plan in place.
THE MATCHUP
A win for Orange County on the road against a good Eastern Conference opponent might truly be the best victory of the season. The OC offense has been quite consistent having scored a goal in 9 of their last 10 games across all competitions. Those goals have come from a spread of different players and Colin Shutler is returning back to his form at just the right time. This game is a great opportunity for Orange County to get their first away win against an Eastern Conference opponent in the Danny Stone era. The last win of this style was June 22 of 2024 against Indy Eleven when they won 1-0. The last game for Morten Karlsen.
With just how tight the Western Conference race is and the fact that Orange County still have games in hand on the majority of the league this is a perfect opportunity to jump into the top four in the West and start their march to what would be a club record third consecutive season with a playoff appearance. Orange County would realistically need at least two goals on Saturday to guarantee a win.
WHAT TO KNOW
Game - @ Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (USL Championship)
When - August 9th, 4:00 PM PST
Where - Highmark Stadium (Pittsburgh, PA)
OCSC Form - WWWLD
PIT Form - WDLDD
All-Time Series - 6-2-1 (9 Games)
TV - ESPN+
Don’t mis the team’s pre-game bar crawl with BXCR at the Anaheim Packing House with team gear giveaways, drinks, booze, and a dinner at Blind Rabbit. Starts at Villains Brewing at 12:30.