Orange County returned back to Irvine for an interconference matchup in what ended up being just their only home game across a span of seven weeks. It is not very often that I get to write these postgame recaps but I was quite fortunate to have the opportunity to cover this game because it was indeed a game.
Ashton Miles celebrates with fans after scoring against Birmingham Legion
For context, Orange County up to this point in the season has been a very good home team being 6-1-2 with the offense being the strongest facet of the team. OC has already had four home games of scoring three or more goals which already surpassed last year’s mark of 3. They would ultimately see another offensive explosion that would ultimately be undone by an equally impressive Birmingham offense who matched Orange County blow for blow.
FIRST HALF:
To start off the game, OC would only have to worry about the suspension of Stephen Kelly from last week and would do so with Nico Benalcazar lining up alongside Chris Hegardt in the back midfield. Pedro Guimaraes would end up seeing action at the left wing position as a result. Ashton Miles would also take the place of an injured Tom Brewitt.
It would not take long at all for Orange County to learn just how the night would go as it only took three minutes before Birmingham would score their first goal of the night. It was a simple through ball down the side of the box that for reasons unknown Shutler decided to come out for but he got caught in no man’s land. It took one cross to the middle of the box for an easy tap-in to an open goal for Amir Daley who scored his first career USL goal. Birmingham would continue the pressure for about the first 20 minutes of the game and it would not be until the 19th minute that OC finally started to find their offensive touch.
In the 24th minute, Pedro Guimaraes put in an in-swinging corner that somehow bounced through the box right to a crashing Ashton Miles who got his first goal of the season tying the game at 1 apiece. But Orange County could not celebrate for too long as a mere four minutes later Ronaldo Damus (yes that Damus) would end up scoring off a broken play. Damus made his name in the USL as a poacher in front of the net that only needs a couple feet of space to get a shot away and he beat Shutler near-post top side.
Nobody wanted to play defense on Saturday and Bryce Jamison in the 41st minute used a nice piece of skill to cut back in the box and drew a penalty that Ethan Zubak would slot away to the keeper’s right low.
The match would enter halftime with a 2-2 scoreline and Orange County had done nicely to answer back having gone down twice.
SECOND HALF:
Entering the second half, Orange County were expected to have the momentum to end the night. Then Vuk Latinovich had one of the craziest own goals I have ever seen in not just Orange County history but USL history at that.
In the 52nd minute, Birmingham would send a ball up to Damus that would bounce about 25-30 yards out from Shutler’s net. Latinovich would be the first defender to get to it and he made the decision to clear the ball away. On replay of the match it is very clear that Damus applied the pressure from behind and Vuk made the decision to kick it high instead of looking for a pass which he would have done if he had been by himself. I cannot fault him for the decision knowing that it is Damus on his back but I do not have words to describe how and what happens after. Vuk’s clearance is high enough but is heading in the direction of Colin Shutler and it beats Shutler. The ball went in just about the one part of the net that Colin could not legally save and one might even think that he should have used his hands. However he definitely did not want to get sent off and so OC would have to bite the bullet and move ahead down 2-3.
This game at this point is already insane enough with own goals, bad defense, and it's not even the hour mark. It was also a beer fest night for the club and Birmingham must have had some fun too because off the kickoff they inexplicitly left Pedro Guimaraes wide open within the middle of the box who gladly scored. There was not a Birmingham defender within 6 yards of Pedro who easily scored off of a nice assist from Ryan Doghman.
Of course a game like this cannot just have six total goals scored and so Birmingham, to their credit, made good use of their offensive chances and would get another one. In the 62nd minute, Miles and Latinovich would get mixed up and cover the same player which left Sebastian Tregarthen in the middle of the box who easily scored the Legion’s fourth of the night. It is definitely a night to forget for Orange County from a defensive standpoint. But Chris Hegardt was not having any of it and in the 66th minute dribbled down the middle of the field, was not picked up by any Legion defenders and fired away a shot low to the left of the keeper and tied the game again. Orange County had now gone down four times in one game and had found an equalizer every single time. Three of those equalizers occurred less than 10 minutes after conceding.
But just when it seemed as if the flood gates would continue to stay open, the scoring chances for both teams fizzled out. In fact it would not be until the final minute of stoppage time where OC would get another big chance at net off a free kick that helplessly bounced through the box with no one to hammer it home.
The game would end 4-4.
OVERVIEW:
There was so much that happened just in a goalscoring sense that I was not able to fit in many of the substitutions for Orange County or just how big some players were for OC. Bryce Jamison has quietly found his form again, Ryan Doghman continues to be one of the best offensive left backs in the league and all of a sudden OC has the fourth best offense in the Western Conference.
That is unfortunately all that there is for positives from this match. The defense did not play well and it does not take an expert to know that. They were fortunate enough to come away with a point but this might be a game down the line that OC will rue if they fall a couple points short. That was a Birmingham team who had only won four games all year and their defense was proof of that. But even after all that craziness, Orange County would actually end up gaining positions in the West going from 8th to 6th after the weekend. We can thank Sacramento and Las Vegas winning their games for that. It is becoming more and more evident that the biggest hurdle for OC will be just qualifying for the postseason. If OC can make it there then their chances of going deep are pretty good. It is just getting in that might be the real challenge.
Next week Orange County will head back on the road and play three consecutive away games in what will truly be an important run of games. They will begin with a visit to Keyworth Stadium and their raucous environment for a matchup with Detroit City FC, a very even matchup for OC.
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