The Forbidden Term Game
There is a select group of particularly older fanbases that do not like it when teams play teams from the other conferences (looking at you MLB fans) but Orange County might be joining them after playing and losing to the Eastern Conference. Orange County sit on top of the Western Conference but do not expect that stat to stand after the end of the week with second place New Mexico only sitting one point back of OC but play twice this weekend. With the top seed no longer in their own destiny, the only thing that OC can really do at this point is put together positive performances and rack up some wins. The wins are the only way that OC can guarantee a very high position in the postseason with a little over two months left remaining in the season.
So it seems as if Orange County would greatly benefit from a win on Saturday against a mid-table team. However there is much more to the story that has really kicked up steam the past couple of weeks. Orange County as of writing this is first place with 34 points. Lexington SC and Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC are tied for 8th place with 28 points. Only 6 points separate the top playoff seed from the lowest seed. That is only a two game winning streak that separates a team from having home field advantage for the Conference playoffs or missing the postseason entirely. Of course not every team is on the same number of games played with New Mexico being the biggest outlier of the group. So remember when I said how Orange County just needs to win games from this point out then it might be entirely justified to say that Saturday’s home game against Tulsa is nearing must-win territory.
I am really not a fan of calling regular season games “must win unless” they are obviously to avoid being eliminated. A random late August regular season game should not meet the criteria of one but with just how many questions Orange County have to answer then yes this game has to be one where OC earns three points. You are playing a team for the second time of the season that you have already defeated with defensive play, are playing them at home, and are a team who have been very frustratingly inconsistent all summer. I do not make the rules.
THE OPPONENT - FC TULSA
The defending Western Conference champions need to win just as badly as OC needs to. Currently sitting in sixth in the West on 29 points they have had a bit of a step back season after their improbable run to hosting the USL Final in 2025. The story of the 2026 season can best be summed up by this stat. In their 19 regular season games played, they have only scored multiple goals in 5 of them. That means that in the other 14 matches they could only muster a single goal or none at all. It would be 7 games that Tulsa would be shut out in, including the home leg back in early April against Orange County. So yes while the defense is quite stout, the offense has had a very hard time helping them out. They have been shut out in two consecutive games as well but they were able to score a goal and get a victory over Pittsburgh a couple of weeks ago; 8 months too late.
But the standings might lie a bit because Tulsa are right in the mix of it with the other Western teams. Their schedule the rest of the season is manageable with remaining games against teams like Brooklyn, Phoenix, Oakland and Colorado Springs. The offensive output has to improve but it has been evenly spread out amongst the ranks. They are tied for the second best defense in the entire USL so perhaps we will see a more aggressive Tulsa side who knows they will need more offensively if they are to repeat their run.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Tulsa’s best goal scorer this season with five goals to his record is Remi Cabral. OC fans have gotten their fair share of the French center forward thanks to his time with not only Phoenix Rising but also LA Galaxy II, a fan favorite no doubt. But Cabral is a very consistent forward who has often been Tulsa’s best offensive weapon going forward having scored goals in every competition in 2026. Cabral is in his first season with the club and has been mostly healthy this season. After missing a four game stretch this summer, Cabral made his return two weeks ago against Detroit. In no way is the loss to Detroit or more recently their loss to New Mexico his fault but the fact that Tulsa are 4-1-0 this season in games that he is not on the squad for does make you wonder. But this is still a USL veteran with 111 appearances to his name in what is his fifth season in the USL Championship.
On the orange side of things, there is a fun battle brewing for the title of most career appearances in Orange County history. For those that do not know, Brian Iloski is the all-time appearances leader for Orange County with 112 in his career. The closest player to him is one that is still actively playing for Orange County in Kevin Partida who at the moment has made 111 appearances. But unfortunately for Partida his 2026 campaign has been plagued with injuries and he has not seen the pitch since April 18th against Lexington. That is 12 regular season games missed with 11 games remaining in the season for Partida to return to and hopefully break the record for OC’s longest tenured player. But their is a wrinkle in this story and his name is Ryan Doghman. Ryan Doghman currently sits fourth in career appearances with 107 to his name but more importantly he is healthy and finding the field. At this rate of which he has played, Ryan Doghman would break the record for most career appearances for Orange County SC on September 26 at home against Pittsburgh.
But until that day comes, the player I want to give the attention to is Nico Benalcazar. The most underrated player for Orange County and perhaps its most important, Nico is a player that can do everything and anything that he is asked to do. You need him to score goals? He will get you 3 on the year from a defensive position. Assists? He has already gotten two. Need him to play in five different positions across one season and counting? You already know the answer. In a season that has been marred by injuries, Nico Benalcazar’s best ability is his availability where he has only missed a single game in 2026. His importance to the team cannot be understated and I am glad to see him get the recognition that he deserves.
PREDICTED STARTING XI
The question of the week, year and entire existence of Orange County SC is who is healthy to play. Last week saw the surprising early return for Mataeo Bunbury so maybe Orange County can get more good news this week as well. The biggest names are obviously going to be Mouhamadou War and Lyam MacKinnon whose absences against Tampa and Louisville were noticeable. We do know that War has been seen in training so again fingers crossed. One facet of the field that is going to be under a microscope this game is the defense. It has not been very good to say the least the last couple of weeks. Tulsa will not blow you away with their offense so hopefully that wrings true.
I am going to make the same prediction as last week which does include War at right back shifting Benalcazar back to his more natural defensive mid position. Another player that I would really hope to see get going again is Chris Hegardt at left mid. Hegardt is perhaps one of the better players on the roster when it comes to going at defenders one on one. We have seen him be a bit more passive in recent games but this is probably the best playmaker that OC has so when he is at his best the goals are earned. Brandon Cambridge went from a 25-day contract player to a spot starter and has also shown a knack for assisting on goals. It is a toss up between him and Solis for the right mid spot. Alex Rando should have a day as well.
THE MATCHUP
Orange County SC are just a very good team against certain opponents and Tulsa are a good example of it. This will be the 17th all time appearance in a matchup history that has seen some crazy scorelines. The 9-2-5 mark is evidence of this. It was a series dominated early by Tulsa with 3 of those 5 wins coming within the first 3 years of play but since 2018 Orange County have had their way with Tulsa, both home and away. There was a point between 2018-2022 that in 7 games played the two teams combined for 27 goals. Do not expect that same offensive output on Saturday.
We are officially at the point where we should be looking at the scorelines of other games around the league, particularly those involving direct playoff opponents. The biggest ones to keep an eye on will be New Mexico visiting Loudoun, Lexington and Las Vegas meeting and San Antonio playing host to a struggling Oakland side. A win tomorrow will keep Orange County in first place no matter what. But all eyes should look to Wednesday when New Mexico hosts Lexington for a very important match.
WHAT TO KNOW
Game - vs FC Tulsa (USL Championship)
When - August 22nd, 7:00 PM PST
Where - Championship Soccer Stadium (Irvine, CA)
OCSC Form - LLWWL
TUL Form - LLWWD
All-Time Series - 9-2-5 (16 Games)
TV - CBS Sports Network