Whoever wins this game will get a much needed boost while the loser will be left struggling to find answers.
After Orange County easily dispatched their first Open Cup matchup on Wednesday, Orange County will head out to West Texas to take on El Paso Locomotive FC. This will be OC’s first trip to the Lone Star state in 2023 and they will be doing so with the intention of winning their first league game.
The Lamar Hunt US Open Cup is here and Orange County are set to enter into the second round of the annual tournament.
In normal fashion, all USL Championship independent sides enter into the competition at the second round and match up often against local lower league sides. Overall Orange County has had very little success in this competition. Their best run to date came in 2017 when they reached the fourth round of competition before bowing out to the LA Galaxy.
Orange County SC returned from their cross-country trip to Hartford with 1 point, leaving them with just 3 points in 4 matches. That’s not quite the start the team (and most of the fans) were hoping for when the season kicked off a little under a month ago. Anyway, in honor of OC’s trip to Hartford, the “Insurance Capital of the World”, here are their player rankings
Orange County SC’s first away game of the season saw them travel east to face off against Hartford Athletic, for the first time in club history, at the Trinity Health Stadium in Hartford, CT. A strong battle between these two teams ended with Orange County’s third tie in a row at 1-1.
After a winless month of March, Orange County SC opens up April with a first-time visit to the Constitution State, when they take on Hartford Athletic.
First Time Matchup For Pair of Winless Teams
At this point of Orange County’s campaign, it is hard to expect what side we will see this coming Saturday. While Orange County have looked much improved from last season, they have still yet to earn their first victory on the season.
In fact, Richard Chaplow’s side have not won a USL contest in 8 consecutive contests dating back to last season. Their opponent is Hartford Athletic, a respectable side who are looking to make the postseason for the first time since 2020.
Orange County opened up their Western Conference schedule with a 2-2 draw against Las Vegas Lights, securing their team’s 2nd point of the season after a tough March at home.
Orange County had a shaky first half performance. But in the second half, they looked more like the team we expect moving forward. Orange County will look forward to Hartford Athletic in their first road game of the 2023 season. Before we preview that game, let’s take one final look back at the team’s final community rankings for the month of March.
POST-MATCH REVIEW: FIRST WESTERN CONFERENCE BATTLE
On Saturday night, Orange County SC had their first Western Conference matchup of the 2023 season against the Las Vegas Lights. It was an incredibly aggressive and offensive performance from both sides that ended the evening with a 2-2 draw.
Orange County opens up Western Conference play at home this Saturday, March 25 against the Lights of Las Vegas.
Orange County has a very strong chance at earning their first victory of the 2023 season. They will look to accomplish this at the expense of fellow Western Conference rivals Las Vegas Lights FC who will be looking to qualify for the USL playoffs for the first time in franchise history.
