Panic Time?
Does geography matter in the grand scheme of things? Orange County has developed a lengthy streak of losing against Eastern Conference opponents on the road. Last week was another example of this as OC fell to Detroit City FC 1-4. The last time that OC won an away game in the Eastern time zone came all the way back in June of 2024 with Milan Iloski scoring and Morten Karlsen on the bench.
But OC will travel to a team that is located East of a number of Eastern Conference teams but plays in the Western Conference. Lexington SC in their first year of USL Championship play have surprisingly climbed the table and are in a position to already be more successful than Monterey Bay. But the pressure is on the away team in this case as OC will enter into a rare Friday matchup below the playoff line with just a single game in hand. With the defense being a bit more suspect recently, OC have unfortunately lost the benefit of drawing games and now have to start really going for 3 points; especially against teams they are in direct competition with.
This is perhaps one of the last true away games for OC with the other being next week against San Antonio. OC has done much better at home than on the road so any points earned on the road the next two weeks could go a very long way in the grand scheme of things.
THE OPPONENT - LEXINGTON SC
The USL’s newest gladiators have entered the arena and have proven themselves for the most part. It was not a very good start for the self-promoted Kentuckians but they have been on fire their last 11 games. Going 7-2-2 has bolstered Lexington to 5th in the West and they will have an amazing opportunity to nullify OC’s two game cushion on them.
Lexington has been on fire which cannot be understated enough. Their 12 points picked up in the last five games is second most in the USL only behind their friends to the West in Louisville. Lexington is at its best when they are able to score just one goal thanks in part to their defense being above the upper third of best defenses in the USL. However they will have a very tough end to the season where they will still have to face Sacramento, Tulsa, New Mexico and El Paso; all teams currently ahead of them in the standings. After Friday evening they will only have two home games remaining as well so while they are in a good position overall they still have some work to do especially with how chaotic the West has been.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Lexington for all of their quality play do not necessarily have a standout player that is top five in the league in any meaningful stat. They are tied for first in the USL with an 85 percent passing accuracy. The clean sheets have been more common than some teams and so for Lexington the focus is on the goalkeepers. While both keepers have gotten a good amount of time on the pitch, Brooks Thompson has been the main one in net recently. Thompson is a very young keeper who in 12 appearances this season has only conceded 11 goals but has registered 4 clean sheets. Even though Thomspon is only 23 years old he has already been a part of six American clubs across both the MLS and USL.
On the orange side of things, the youth keeps getting more youthful as OC recently announced the signing of 15-year old (!) Apolo Marinch. Marinch is a forward who was last with the Columbus Crew academy but has decided to move out West and join the OCSC academy. He is now the second youth player signed to a professional contract in 2025 after Tyson Espy. There is now nearly a full XI that could be played by OC of players under 25 and who have spent time with the OC academy.
PREDICTED STARTING XI
The injuries are starting to pile up for Orange County a bit and it truly could not have come at a better time. There is still a good team that can be seen on paper but OC has really yet to see it on the field for consistent periods of time. They do not have many more opportunities to wonder just how good things can be and sure do not want to ponder it in the offseason watching everyone else play in the postseason.
Due to the injury last week, Colin Shutler’s streak of consecutive league starts will unfortunately come to an end and Tetsuya Kadono will get the start in net. Kadono has proven himself to be serviceable in his USL Cup starts and will get an opportunity at a very important time for Orange County. This game is so important in fact that I cannot see anything less than the strongest lineup being brought out. Doghman returns to the left back position and Cameron Dunbar will be brought in to attack the right side.
THE MATCHUP
Second time these two teams will have played in 2025 and overall and the first time being played in Lexington. As far as Western Conference opponents go for OC, this will be the longest time in between matchups with OC facing Lexington last in just the second week of the season. That game saw Mohamadou War score a stoppage time equalizer. OC sits in 9th in the West with Lexington in 5th however they are only separated by three points. The games in hand for OC does factor into this as well. A defeat is not the end all for OC nor is it for Lexington but this is the perfect opportunity for OC to prove to the USL, and themselves, that they are not a team you want to meet in the postseason.
WHAT TO KNOW
Game - @ Lexington SC (USL Championship)
When - September 12th, 3:00 PM PST
Where - Lexington SC Stadium (Lexington, KY)
OCSC Form - LDLWD
LEX Form - WLWWW
All-Time Series - 0-1-0 (1 Game)
TV - CBS Sports Golazo, Paramount+