Orange County SC players celebrate after scoring a goal against Tacoma Defiance. | Photo courtesy of Orange County SC/Liza Rosales
League play for Orange County SC takes a break during the midweek for the first round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. The Open Cup is a single elimination tournament that features a mix of amateur and professional sides, highlighting the quality and depth of soccer throughout the United States.
OCSC’s Open Cup results have been mixed in the last few years. 2018 saw a second round exit at the hands of FC Golden State Force, but 2017 saw the club feature in the fourth round against MLS giants LA Galaxy.
Orange County FC knocked out FC Golden State Force last week in a performance that exemplifies the desire of lower-division sides. OCFC is one of the stronger teams in the NPSL, and they enter Wednesday’s match following a convincing 3-1 victory in league play over the weekend. Additionally, in-form forward Blake Frischknecht was named as the NPSL Player of the Week on May 9.
The NPSL side will be familiar to a few of OCSC’s players, two of which spent time with the NPSL club during their amateur careers. First-year pros Danny Crisostomo and Connor Gordon both spent time with the amateur side during their college careers, both contributing over two seasons and the latter featuring in their 2018 Open Cup run.
Orange County SC look to advance in the tournament after a disappointing 2018. With a league match just three days after the Open Cup, it is possible that the squad will be rotated, giving a chance to some of the younger and local-born players. The overall quality of the squad should be enough to nearly guarantee a spot in the third round, but the tournament is always exciting as players and teams look to showcase their abilities in front of a national audience.
The match kicks off at 7:30pm at Championship Stadium at the Orange County Great Park. The game will also be broadcast live on ESPN+ in the United States.
Orange County FC defender Joshua Bynoe. | Photo courtesy of Orange County FC
Highlights:
OCSC’s furthest progress in the tournament has been the fourth round, coming in 2015 and 2017.
Orange County FC made the most of their first round offense: the team scored two goals from just five shots on target.