Where is the El Paso postgame recap?
I originally had about 35 percent of it done, but when re-watching the game for a second time, it did not particularly put me in a good mood so I scrapped it.
Essentially, OC are 10 players on the pitch coincedentally wearing the same kit, along with Alex Rando, who is having to do a bit too much.
I do not even know what is funnier: the fact that Orange County thought going into the regular with only two center backs on the roster was enough; or the fact that the rest of the Western Conference is so bad that OC still controls its own destiny. With two games left in the regular season, the County Boys have a three point advantage, needing one more win to secure a postseason berth.
But to win, Orange County needs to do a better job at both ends of the pitch. They have lost two consecutive games 2-1, as part of a broader three game stretch of only scoring a single goal per game. There are so many holes with this roster that it does not really matter who is coaching the team at the moment.
It would be very easy for me to put this team down and chalk up this season as a loss. It would be easy for me to ask that OC has no chance of doing anything significant, so why even bother? But the chances are that if you are already a fan of this team, it is not because of how successful they are but rather because they are your hometown club who have done special things before.
Getting that out of the way, Orange County will play what could be their last home game of the season this Saturday. They still currently sit in 7th place with 39 points which ties them with San Antonio FC. The highest that OC can possibly finish if everything goes their way is 4th in the West and obviously the lowest they could finish is outside of the playoffs. As fate would have it the current number 7 and 8 teams in the West will close out the season together in the regular season finale which has the possibility of being a win and in type scenario. But if you ask me I believe that OC should be able to just need one win in their last two games to guarantee a playoff berth. If you also ask me I would like to think that OC would want to get that elusive win at home rather than having to go to what could be a raucous Toyota Stadium in San Antonio. So who does OC play in their all important season deciding game?
THE OPPONENT - PHOENIX RISING FC
Like the Joker is to Batman and fire is to ice, you cannot tell the story of Orange County SC without mentioning Phoenix Rising FC. You can legitimately make the argument that either them or Sacramento are the teams that OC fans loathe the most and I know the feelings are shared going the other way. (ed. note: I think Phoenix fans loathe themselves most. To quote Lucille Bluth…
Unfortunately Phoenix has given OC a good number of bad memories when it comes to ending seasons, making this match even more dramatic. But one thing that will be a new wrinkle in the rivalry is the fact that this will be the fourth time in 2026 that OC and Phoenix face one another.
Once again history has repeated itself with Phoenix once again knocking out OC in cup competitions with victories this year in both the Open Cup and USL Cup.
Going into the game Phoenix only sits 3 points behind OC for what could be perhaps the final postseason spot. Even more important is the fact that whoever wins this game will also clinch the tiebreaker over the other. Phoenix can only make the playoffs if they win their last two games of the season which, after OC also sees Phoenix face a red hot Lexington SC side. Also like Orange County, Phoenix have kind of put themselves into this mess with a string of poor results which includes losses to Oakland and ties with Monterey Bay and Hartford.
Finishing mid to low table has been a trend for Phoenix that will continue this season. Since 2022 the highest they have finished in the West at the end of the regular season is fifth. However, Phoenix fans might not care that much because the year they went into the postseason as the sixth seed they won it all.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
No time left to put players in the spotlight just because they are on the team…
From here on out, I am only going to be mentioning individuals who are performing the best for both teams. So for Phoenix Rising it has to be forward Ihsan Sacko. His 14 league goals in 2026 have already doubled his total from last season and he is tied for second in the Golden Boot race. His efforts last week were very important when Phoenix needed a win. He was able to get a brace as a reward for his well-rounded game. Orange County already saw him do damage as he scored Phoenix’s only goal in the reverse fixture all the way back in March.
On the orange side of things, Chris Hegardt always finds a way to show why he has been the most underrated player for OC for a good bit of time now. Chirs Hegardt has played in 154 professional games, 82 of those coming with OCSC. He has appeared in each and every regular season game this season. He is legitimately one of the only reasons why we almost never talk about the midfield because of his consistency at left mid. As a bonus, he scored last week against El Paso. This is only Hegardt’s second full season with the club but he does have the potential to remain a club stalwart if he continues to be a thorn in the side of opponents.
The type of player you love to have on your team.
PREDICTED STARTING XI
It’s probably closest to whatever OC’s best lineup is at this point in the year. Regardless, the 11 men on the pitch will have to act as one cohesive unit for the first time in months.
No room or time left to rest players and no more players with suspensions means we will see a lineup that will be most similar to what we would see if this were a playoff game. This really a pseudo-playoff game in that a loss would really put OC into a hole.
Tom Brewitt returns to the lineup after serving his red card suspension. He will be playing with Tyson Espy at his side. Notably, I don’t have Marcelo Palomino starting, even after assisting Hegardt last week. I definitely can see him being the first sub coming off the bench especially as an offensive option. Mouhamadou War at right mid gives the team more possibilities of expanding the pitch as well. Up top I would really like to see Yaniv Bazini return to the starting XI only for the fact he has been the best and most consistent forward for OC. If it really comes down to OC needing a very scrappy goal to win the game, Bazini will be your best option. Other subs into the game I would not mind seeing are Nicola Ciotta and Brandon Cambridge.
Alex Rando cannot take any games off either at this point.
THE MATCH UP
There was a point in the USL that teams would play each other four different times in the league. This came before they brought in inter-conference
match ups but with the current state of scheduling, seeing a team more than
3 times is uncommon itself. This will be the fourth different time that OC plays
Phoenix and in the third different competition which is the first time that OC
has played the same team in all three competitions (USL Championship, USL
Cup, US Open Cup). This would also be a very good time for OC to get their
first win over Phoenix in 2026. The first time these two met this season came
in just matchweek 2 where OC needed a late goal to salvage a point. They
would again meet a couple weeks later in the US Open Cup where Phoenix
would win in added time. Then in May, OC would return back to the desert for
the USL Cup group stage game in what is the lowest stake game. What OC
does have in their favor is that in home regular season matchups against
Phoenix they have been victorious in four of their last five games.
Now for the scenarios for this week. The highest that OC can end up in the
table after this matchweek is 6th if they are to do better in result than
Colorado Springs. The Switchbacks will be away at Monterey Bay so do not
get your hopes up there. Next comes the team that OC is currently tied with
on the table in points being San Antonio. OC holds the tiebreaker over San
Antonio at the moment thanks to their 2-0 win earlier in the season. San
Antonio will play host to New Mexico tomorrow. Keep in mind that OC ends
their regular season next week at San Antonio. I can guarantee you OC does
not want to go into San Antonio needing a win to make the postseason.
There are only two teams who can tie OC in points if things do go bad with
one of them being Phoenix themselves. Another reason why this game is very
important for both teams. The other team is Las Vegas who will play host to a
very dangerous Lexington side. The only other team worth mentioning is that
of Oakland who at 35 points can not afford to lose any games or face
elimination so they will need to go into Tulsa and get a win. Lots of games to
keep on tabs but OC can make their clinching scenario a lot simpler to
understand with a win or draw Saturday night.
WHAT TO KNOW
Game - vs Phoenix Rising FC (USL Championship)
When - October 17th, 7:00 PM PST
Where - Championship Soccer Stadium (Irvine, CA)
OCSC Form - LLWLL
PHX Form - DLLLW
All-Time Series - 11-10-18 (39 Games)
TV - KCAL+, Golazo Sports Network