As top-seeded contenders in their respective conferences, Orange County SC and the Tampa Bay Rowdies collide in a marquee interconference matchup that serves as a potential preview for the 2026 USL Championship final. While Tampa Bay brings a high-scoring offense led by forward Russell Cicerone, Orange County enters on a club-record unbeaten streak powered by solid defensive performances from center-backs Tom Brewitt and Garrison Tubbs.
It has officially been 10 games for Orange County in league play and in all honesty it has been an abysmal 10 games. After getting shutout 0-3 in Oakland on Saturday, the Oranges return back to Irvine for a midweek matchup. With the setup of USL, the top eight teams of each conference qualify for the playoffs out of a total 12. In 10 games, OCSC have played only 3 teams who are currently out of a playoff spot. Does that mean OC will play an opponent that is level in quality this time? No.
