March 11th, Match #1 - Orange County SC vs Louisville City FC
After a lackluster 2022 season, the Boys in Orange begin their 2023 campaign which is both their tenth season in the city of Irvine and thirteenth overall. The theme of this season is that of change with a revamped roster. Richard Chaplow returns for his third season in charge and will be looking for a bit more positive results than last season.
Looking back in memory, the opening day of the USL season has not treated OC well. In fact Orange County has not won an opening game since the 2017 season when they defeated Reno 1868 FC away 2-0. Overall Orange County has only won two of their twelve played opening day matches.
The Points DO Matter: OCSC’s Path to the Playoffs
If you ever watched Drew Carey, Wayne Brady, Ryan Stiles, and Colin Mochrie, you’ve been told that the points do not matter.
For a team like Orange County Soccer Club, who just came off an abysmal 2022 season, the points mean one thing: getting back to the USL Championship playoffs in October. American sports have an obsession with a random crapshoot of games at the end of a long season, and love it or hate it, lifting the USL Championship Cup is arguably the best accomplishment a team can achieve.
So how can OCSC return to playoff form and championship glory? Let’s take a look.
Orange County SC Sweep Preseason Doubleheader
In their final tune-up games of the 2023 preseason, OCSC took victories in both of their March 4 matchups against Los Angeles FC 2 and UC Santa Barbara.
Two games being played resulted in two different Orange County sides: both good enough to come away with victories. In the early game against LAFC2, Orange County featured a line-up that gives us a good indication of who we will see come March 11 in the season opener. Included in this XI were first teamers Milan Iloski, Daniel Pedersen, Alex Villanueva, Andrew Fox, Colin Shutler, along with an Academy player in Brady Elliott.
Do Preseason Results Matter?
Let’s be honest, we always want to win games. Whether it is for league position or bragging rights, a good win puts everyone in a positive mood.
However, one thing is very apparent: preseason is a period where the final result does not matter as much as playing time and getting ready for the regular season. The preseason is rather defined by teams testing out different lineups and formations against mostly local teams both professional and not.
