An offensively impotent Orange County SC lost 2-0 on the road to the Oakland Roots on Saturday afternoon, giving the hosts their first home victory of the year.
There were a handful of changes in the starting eleven, with Mouhamadou War starting up top, Lyam MacKinnon back on the left wing, and youngster Pedro Guimaraes slotting in at right back.
FIRST HALF
The match started poorly for Orange County, as the hosts pressed aggressively, limiting any chances for OC to progress towards the Oakland goal.
This pressure didn’t take long to cause OC problems defensively, too. Just 10 minutes in, Kyle Scott received a short pass, and, under immense pressure from Wolfgang Prentice, turned back to try and find Colin Shutler. Unfortunately for OC and Scott, the midfielder’s backpass was under-powered, and an eager Peter Wilson pounced on it halfway between the OC players. The forward’s shot was weak and caromed off of Shutler, but Wilson recovered and laid the ball off to Prentice, who side-footed the ball home to open the scoring.
Oakland didn’t stop pressing with their lead, however, and Orange County struggled to move forward. At the half hour mark, Kevin Partida was caught in possession on the halfway line, and Oakland’s front three broke forward quickly. This time it was José Sinisterra distributing, as the forward curled a cross to the back post. Wingback Jürgen Damm had time to collect and stand over it before chipping a cross back across goal for Peter Wilson to nod in over Tom Brewitt.
Despite a stop-start remainder of the half, neither team really looked to threaten on goal.
SECOND HALF
Orange County looked a different side in the second half, thanks to a pair of changes. MacKinnon and Bryce Jamison departed for Chris Hegardt and Cameron Dunbar, respectively. Both wingers looked determined when moving forward, and OC was able to progress deeper into the Oakland half thanks to their comfort on the ball.
Either from fatigue or a level of comfort after the first half, Oakland switched from their aggressive pressing to a much more passive side, compressing vertically when defending to form a low block.
Still, Orange County struggled to create clear cut chances. As it has been for most of 2025, the final ball remained elusive.
As the match entered its final 15 minutes, OC finally looked capable of scoring. First was Chris Hegardt. The midfielder shifted centrally as OC changed its shape with substitutions. Still looking frustrated to have not started, the midfielder drove forward and found Benjamin Barjolo out wide. Continuing his run, Hegardt found himself in the Oakland box as Barjolo returned the ball. Hegardt did well to chest the ball down, but his left-footed volley was scuffed just wide of the far post, and OC still went begging for a goal.
Thanks to OC pouring forward, Oakland still had a couple of chances to break forward. Wilson came close to netting a brace, but Shutler was matched to it and did well to keep the scoreline respectable.
In the 81st minute, Ryan Doghman just missed his own half-volley. The fullback shot from 30 yards out, and despite heavy traffic still in the box from a corner, no one was able to redirect it on target. Moments later, OC nearly repeated its set piece heroics from earlier in the week after taking a corner short; but again, no one could put the finishing touch on the move, and Oakland cleared their lines.
Both teams had a few more chances as time ran down, but neither goalkeeper was really troubled, and the match finished 2-0.
FINAL THOUGHTS
“Are you not entertained?” This match in the Coliseum was a true matinee, far from the excitement of a night under the lights.
There were 27 fouls in this match, making it a very stop-start affair. That’s an accurate reflection of Orange County’s season thus far. Much was made about the lack of depth in defense, and while conceding twice wasn’t ideal, OCSC’s larger issue seems to be its inconsistency in front of goal. Ethan Zubak departed early against Sacramento and hasn’t made a matchday squad since, and while there are a handful of other forwards ready and capable of taking his spot, OC looks lost offensively.
Still: it’s only April. If these performances — and these results — remain through the summer, then supporters and staff will have every right to panic. For now: it’s clear the team just needs to find a way to score.