On August 18, 2021 the mood around Orange County SC was not a very joyful one. They had just been beaten by the Tacoma Defiance in a 0-3 rout at home on a cold and rainy night. That mediocre game came after an equally mediocre form that saw the team give up late goals, lose to low-table teams and overall looked out of shape. For then head coach Braedan Cloutier, the Tacoma game served as the dagger and he was sacked after four seasons as head coach of Orange County SC. 

For Orange County, the decision to sack a manager mid season was not an easy one to make. Under Cloutier’s tenure the club was quite successful. In Cloutier’s four seasons, the club qualified for the playoffs twice, had the best record in the Western Conference in 2018 and made it to the Western Conference Finals that season as well. At the time of his sacking, Cloutier had amassed a record of 64 wins, 47 losses, and 33 draws across all competitions; very respectable numbers. However he was unable to win a title. His replacement for the time being would be his assistant Richard Chaplow.