Orange County Begin Open Cup Quest with OC Derby
Orange County SC will get their first foray from the regular season this Wednesday night. Beginning their US Open Cup campaign, OCSC will face off against a fellow Orange County side in the UPSL team that is Laguna United FC. The UPSL is considered to be in the fourth tier of the US soccer pyramid, being two under the USL Championship. This will actually not be the first meeting between the two programs but will be the first time the senior sides will play in a competitive match.
This is Orange County SC’s 14th US Open Cup appearance and will be the first home game since 2024. A competition that has been anything but nice to the Black & Orange. It seems as if every season OCSC will be reminded by its Open Cup crashouts of years past. The OCSC of old saw some defeats to legitimate Sunday league teams in both weak lineups and sheer tomfoolery. It was very common for OC to simply play the younger players and hope for the best. However that sentiment does not necessarily ring true for the modern OCSC. The past four iterations have seen OC field fairly experienced sides against both teams of lower and similar caliber including Danny Stone’s last lineup last season.
Orange County this season got a very favorable opening draw and one that will take place at home. A very under the radar stat is that OC have made Championship Soccer Stadium a true fortress. OC have been undefeated at home in their last 11 games across all competitions. Last season they only failed to earn a home point in 3 games. It is expected to be a very local crowd Wednesday night but for OC this remains a chance to really look to get the offense going.
THE OPPONENT - LAGUNA UNITED FC
These US Open Cup previews are always fun because it is a chance to highlight a team that may not be known to many. Laguna United FC are probably best known for their extensive youth club network around the OC area. One that has partnered with OCSC a few times as well for the purpose of developing soccer in the area. This is going to be about their senior team who as of writing this compete in the UPSL and have also started their 2026 season nicely being 1-1-0 in the SoCal North Division. The team plays out of Crown Valley Park in Laguna Niguel. That is all that is known through easily accessible information which does not make for much of an opponent rundown. So we asked for some help.
We were able to reach out to head coach Sam Nicholson for some comments on a couple of questions. When asked what his team needed to do to be successful, Nicholson expressed the importance for his side to be as composed as possible.
The head coach stated, “In order to be competitive we will have to be very organized and disciplined. We will also need to create our moments and have some spells in the game in which we can dictate and control some passages of play. We have a huge challenge on our hands but we will do everything we can.”
This will be Laguna United’s second appearance in the Cup with their first game coming last season.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Laguna United will be fielding a lineup that includes 12 home grown players including a mixture of both youth players and former players still in the middle of their college careers. We again asked Sam Nicholson about his squad and he had two players to name. Midfielder Carter Biondolillo and forward Mikey Barraza. Nicholson had this to say about both players.
“I would highlight Carter Biondolillo and MIkey Barraza. Carter is a 2010 player who plays in the 6 position. He has a huge ceiling of potential and is one that we have extremely high hopes for him in his progression through his high school years and on. The other is Mikey Barraza who is a 2005 player and has been with us since he was 11 years old. Mikey is always an attacking threat and has that element and quality that is just a bit different. He can create something out of nothing and is always an exciting player to watch.”
On the orange side of things, I would normally put a spotlight on a youth player for this game like in years past. However, head coach Danny Stone is one to field a strong lineup regardless of opponent and for that reason we are looking at Nico Benalcazar. Last week’s player of the match saw his goal be the much needed equalizer for OC in every sense of the word. Nico can play nearly any position and that versatility is a massive plus to have on any team especially when injuries start to mount up. One week he is in his natural position of midfield and then the next he is on the backline. He can even spot you a couple of goals. This was the case last week when he started on the backline, eventually moved up to midfield midway through the game, and was able to score the equalizer with a lovely outside foot finish. Every good team needs someone like Nico.
PREDICTED STARTING XI
This is really going to be the hardest section, predicting the lineup for a game when you really do not know how important the game is to the team. What we do know is what Danny Stone did last season in a very similar situation and that was to play the main team with minimal changes.
So I predict a very experienced lineup albeit with some wrinkles here and there. First the backline is going to be the same as it was during the season opener. This means Tyson Espy slots back in. The midfield will see Nicola Ciotta play a bit more up, which we also saw in the first game. Ethan Zubak will get his first start hoping to pounce on an inexperienced back line. This is a great opportunity for guys like Bunbury, Bazini, Solis and Kurnik to get time in so here is to hoping that we can see them come on later in the game holding a lead.
THE MATCHUP
This is a very important matchup to both teams for different reasons. For Laguna United this is as Sam Nicholson put it as the “The achievement getting this far has been 10 years in the making with the history of our personnel….” While one side will use this game as the indication of being a successful soccer program that can compete with the best of them, the other team will see that as a chance to assert dominance and perhaps start a cup run that has eluded them. It is perhaps the last big achievement for OCSC is that deep cup run that other USL teams have experienced. OCSC’s best cup run only came to be the third round. With this being a proper OC derby as well we can also expect to see a lot of fans at the game in what should be an energetic atmosphere. For Laguna United the message is simple, embrace the moment for what it is.
Nicholson states, “Our message to the team has been to enjoy it. It is in front of a home local crowd and our community are excited about this however it’s an opportunity we can’t be scared of. We have to enjoy it and embrace the moment.”
Both teams will have things to prove.
WHAT TO KNOW
Game - vs Laguna United FC (US Open Cup - First Round)
When - March 19th, 7:30 PM PST
Where - Championship Soccer Stadium (Irvine, CA)
OCSC Form - DD
LUFC Form - DW
All-Time Series - (first game)
TV - YouTube