Make no doubt about it, Saturday is quite literally the only time I will call a regular season game a must win game.
I have definitely coined some games as being one that OC should win before. The best example was in 2024 when OC should have beaten a North Carolina FC side that had not won a single away game that season. But OC could not do it, and it was ultimately the beginning of the end for the Paul Hardyman caretaker era.
But with this Western Conference game taking place this late in the season and Orange County not looking very convincing in any facet of play recently, this game is looking to be a very important one. The fact that it comes against a weaker opponent should hopefully mean that OC can take care of business. But remember OC was supposed to beat that weak North Carolina FC side and failed to do so…
Orange County are sliding on a five match winless run but have drawn their last two matches against similarly ranked opponents. The good news is that team defense and goalkeeping have taken steps to improve and the club are attempting to fix things with acquisitions of defender Jaylin Lindsey and forward Sydney Wathuta who should make his OC debut on Saturday. The not-good news is that I kind of wish that OC could score more goals when it matters and not when they go down multiple goals. Last week was positive in that OC scored first in the match, but there have been too many close games for OC when the opportunity is there to get out to comfortable leads.
Both teams need wins desperately but Las Vegas will need it that much more with the Lights only sitting two points behind Lexington for eighth place in the West. Orange County have already gotten the better of Las Vegas this season and hold hopes of clinching the season series on Saturday.
THE OPPONENT - LAS VEGAS LIGHTS FC
Adding even more fuel to the must win fire is the fact that Las Vegas have lost three straight contests. They both came against fairly strong opposition, but Las Vegas have had a very hard time defending their net and have the third worst defense in the West. An offense on the lower end of the scale means that Las Vegas have a realistic chance of once again being on the outside looking in come playoff time.
This has to be one of the more inconsistent sides we have seen in 2026. For their struggles, they have some very impressive wins under their belt. I should be honest and say that Las Vegas does have a healthy chance of making the playoffs based on the fact they face off against their nearest competitors in the final matches.
The 2026 season has been very competitive, with a lot more draws and dropped points than in past seasons. Only four teams across the entire USL Championship have a winning percentage over 50 percent. This does give Las Vegas the chance to take advantage of other teams dropping points randomly. Las Vegas have slowly become one of the older clubs in the Western Conference, and for the most part, their story lines have come on the field. They have played the entirety of their existence at Cashman Field being one of the few USL teams to not have to deal with stadium drama. That is until now. After the 2026 season the Lights will be leaving Cashman Field. There are rumors that the Lights have plans on playing in a pop up stadium (similar to what Phoenix does) but here is to hoping those plans actually come to fruition.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
What Las Vegas lacks in defensive quality they make up for in that they have a legitimate golden boot candidate in Johnny Rodriguez. Rodriguez has been scoring at a rate of a goal scored for every two games played. His 11 goals put him in a tie for 5th place in the entire league. Rodrigues has scored his goals in streaks this season. Earlier in the summer, he went on a streak scoring in four consecutive games including against Orange County.
However, after a very solid first four months of the season, Rodriguez has only been able to find the back of the net just once in his last seven games. He is not the greatest of facilitators either so he is there only to score goals. He is still their most dangerous striker by a wide margin and hopefully OC can keep him contained.
On the orange side of things, we saw the first start for Jaylin Lindsey last Saturday. The likely regular right back moving forward has already made two appearances with OC and has looked like a good signing since being subbed on two weeks ago in Oakland. Jaylin Lindsey, for most of his career, has been an MLS regular with more than 40 total appearances at both Sporting Kansas City and Charlotte FC. At only 26 years old, Lindsey got his first real taste of the USL with New Mexico United in 2025 where he made 37 appearances for United in every competition they played in, even making three postseason appearances. For whatever reason, he fell out of favor with New Mexico, but it’s to OC’s benefit. Now Lindsey will look to solidify the right back position which has been the least consistent position all year.
PREDICTED STARTING XI
Injuries to depth players has really hindered just how much Danny Stone can change lineups. The main core for Orange County in all three thirds of the pitch is still available for selection, but the bench for OC has been hit hard by injuries. Last week saw nine different players on the injury report. This is perhaps also a reason why OC have really had a hard time staying in games and separating themselves from their opponents. Hence why we saw a new signing and a loan in recent weeks.
I know, I know, a very creative and different lineup than what were used to seeing. Not really. Alex Rando had a very good bounce back showing last Saturday against Sacramento. The biggest question mark will be how long until we see a new loan in from Colorado Rapids, Sydney Wathuta. At 6’3”, Wathuta should provide much needed height and attacking depth to a forward core that could really get all the help that it can. Ousmane Sylla and Chris Hegardt should have no trouble finding him in the box. Wathuta is also a University of Vermont alumni just like his buddy Yaniv Bazini. Here is to hoping the Catamount connection pays dividends.
THE MATCH UP
Orange County has beaten Las Vegas a lot more times than they have been beaten. None of that matters on Saturday but to say that a draw would not sit well with me would be putting it lightly. I do not care if the score is 1-0 or 5-4, OC needs 3 points from every winnable game it can get not just from a standings perspective but an overall club energy perspective. No one is satisfied with the recent results and it is alright to expect more. The club knows this too so this is not a slight to them. I know a poorly run sports team when I see one (don’t let the door hit you on the way out Arte Moreno) and Orange County has the resources available to turn things around.
Other important matches around the league that have implications include Oakland hosting Lexington and Phoenix taking on Tulsa. Orange County are still in position for at least one home playoff game but they need to win some games down the stretch. We are reaching the point of the year where we have historically seen some of OC’s best moments occur.
WHAT TO KNOW
Game - vs Las Vegas Lights FC (USL Championship)
When - September 12th, 7:00 PM PST
Where - Championship Soccer Stadium (Irvine, CA)
OCSC Form - DDLLL
LVL Form - LLLWW
All-Time Series - 12-5-6 (23 Games)
TV - ESPN+, KCAL+