March 9th, Match #1 - Orange County SC @ Sacramento Republic FC
Expectations and excitement levels are always high at the beginning of new seasons. But this season might just take that to a whole other level. For Orange County SC, the pieces are there to compete for another USL title. It is the first full season for now full-time head coach Morten Karlsen. The first with certainty around calling Championship Soccer Stadium “home" for the next few years. It is also the first…
October 4th, Match #32 - Orange County SC vs Oakland Roots SC
If there were ever a must-win game that did not result in elimination, this would be the game.
This game has the dubious honor of not just being a much needed win for playoff positioning but OC, in simple terms, needs to win a game. This season has had the highest of highs and lowest of lows all before a playoff game has even started. What a coincidence it is then that the game in question can propel Orange County SC back into the playoffs after a one-year hiatus. Last week OC were able to tough out a point in the desert with a 1-1 effort against Phoenix Rising FC. That matchup actually gave Phoenix a postseason spot but not OC even though they are even on points.
There are only three games remaining in the 2023 regular season and they will all take place in the Golden State. Orange County officially sit 5th in the Western Conference but are even on points with 4th-place Phoenix with 48 and two points behind 3rd-place San Diego. The top four teams in each conference will play the first round of playoffs at home. OC are hungry for a win but the team they are facing might be a bit more desperate.
May 27th, Match #13 - Orange County SC @ Miami FC
Certain games throughout the season can serve as good reminders about the states of clubs. This will be interim-head coach Morten Karlsen’s fifth game at the helm and will be a good indication just how much OC have improved or remained the same.
This will be only Orange County’s second trip East of the Mississippi this season. In fact it will be OC’s first time ever playing in the city of Miami, Florida. In the meantime the Boys in Orange are coming off a disappointing home defeat to Phoenix in a match that they really should have gotten at least a point from. After that, OC currently stands at 11th in the West on 9 points.
May 6th, Match #9 - Orange County SC vs San Diego Loyal SC
For Orange County, Saturday May 6th could be a very important day.
First, it will be the inaugural game under interim-head coach Morten Karlsen who was announced as new manager on May 1 following the dismissal of Richard Chaplow. That in itself is enough to make Saturday a big day but the fact that it will be against San Diego just makes the game much more important.
The OC-SD rivalry has been quite an even series with both teams having won away games and seen high-profile players don both kits. While only 79 miles separate the two clubs, the standings tell a different story. Through 8 league games played, Orange County currently sit in 11th with 6 points, 2 points behind the playoff. San Diego are sitting in 3rd with 14 points.