FIRST HALF
The third round of the Jägermeister Cup kicked off this weekend, and with no chance of advancing to the next round, Danny Stone decided to take this match as an opportunity to showcase the strength of their young players. Bryce Jamison, Cheick Kone, Pedro Guimaraes, Nicola Ciotta, and goalkeeper Tetsuya Kadono all made the starting lineup, creating the youngest starting XI in club history with an average age of 22.8 years.
Orange County almost kicked things off with a bang, as they made their first attack on goal in only 20 seconds. Lyam MacKinnon kept possession away from their opponents with a superb sliding pass back to Nico Benalcazar, who quickly chipped the ball over the Sacramento backline towards Jamison. The Sacramento goalkeeper tried to pick it up, but a fumble from the bounce allowed Jamison to get a touch on it. But the keeper was able to jump on the ball to correct his mistake before Jamison could shoot.
In the eighth minute, OCSC displayed some fantastic passing which opened up the Sacramento defense. Kyle Scott, Ousmane Sylla, and Benalcazar were incredibly patient as they moved up the field with smart and simple passes between them. Eventually, Sylla made a run, got around a couple of challenges, and passed it to Guimaraes. He found MacKinnon running down the left side, and a cross nearly provided Kone with a perfect opportunity. Kone was unfortunately a bit ahead of the pass, however, and the attempt was easily picked up.
Republic started heating up by the 15th minute, taking control of possession and getting into some dangerous areas in the final third. But Tom Brewitt and Vuk Latinovich repelled their chances at every turn.
The pairing of Guimaraes and MacKinnon on the left side once again created a brilliant chance for the County Boys. Guimaraes chipped it up the field, where MacKinnon was able to collect and cross it across the six. Jamison ran forward and took the shot, but it slammed into the crossbar to keep things level at halftime.
SECOND HALF
Despite such a young squad, Orange County SC held their own throughout the entire first half. Not only keeping the score level at 0-0 but also preventing Sacramento from getting a single shot on target.
After a fair and strong tackle from Scott on Cristian Parano, an altercation between the two players led to both earning a yellow card in the 50th minute.
Rodrigo Lopez started Sacramento's best chance of the night. Soon after, he sent a brilliant ball up the pitch to Russel Cicerone. There was some chaos in the box, but they were able to maintain possession and get the ball to the top of the six yard box. Luis Felipe Fernandes had a golden opportunity to open the scoreline, but his shot was sent into the sky instead of the net.
In the 58th minute, Coach Stone made a few substitutions, bringing on Ethan Zubak, Gavin Karam, and most notably, OCSC's newest addition: Stephen Kelly. Kelly came to OC from the Scottish Championship and had the perfect match to make his debut, starting to get comfortable with his new team.
The rest of the match was a complete draw between the two sides, with a midfield battle. Kelly had a chance to score on his debut after Benjamin Barjolo dribbled past a couple of defenders and crossed into the box. Kelly took his shot, but sent the ball over the crossbar.
Tetsuya “Tet” Kadono collecting a cross under some pressure. Photo courtesy of Orange County SC
Kadono showed off his brilliance between the sticks during a set piece for Sacramento a few yards outside the box. Michelle Benitez took the free kick and had perfect placement in the top right corner, but Kadono leaped up and blocked the shot with incredible skill to keep things even.
Orange County’s last chance of the night came in the 95th minute and was started by a great long pass by Ciotta up the field. It was collected by Benalcazar, who quickly passed it to Zubak. He switched it to Guimaraes on the left side. He feigned a shot with his left foot to beat Jack Gurr and cut into the center, where he slotted the ball through the center and into the net, winning the match with his first goal at home.
OVERVIEW
As far as the Jägermeister Cup is concerned, the victory means very little in Orange County's chances to advance. However, the County Boys still showcased some unforgettable moments as they defeated Sacramento Republic FC 1-0.
The youth won the day with standout performances from Pedro Guimaraes, Nicola Ciotta, and Tetsuya Kadono. Ciotta showed a ton of promise as he played all 90 minutes and had some fantastic defensive moments, including a pass that led to the sole goal of the evening. Most notably, he never gave up no matter who he faced off against on the pitch and may have provided an answer to OCSC's right-back woes that they've faced this season.
Kadono didn't have a lot to do throughout the match, but he stepped up with a fantastic save when needed. Guimaraes continued to showcase his strength on defense as well as his ability to move up the field, showing support to the offense and even scoring when needed.
In only 30 minutes of playtime, Stephen Kelly proved that he will be a massive help to the midfield depth as the season goes on. He finished with the third-most final third entries of the evening.
This victory for Orange County SC provides some incredible momentum and confidence as they take to the road to face off against a tough Eastern Conference team this coming Thursday, July 3rd, at 4:00 pm PST, in Loudoun United FC.