May 17th, Match #11 - Orange County SC vs Sacramento Republic FC
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.
"Same Problem, Same Solution": A Commentary on the Events from 5/6
Editor’s Note: This article was written by Orange and Black Contributor Tyler Griffith, and is edited minimally to preserve his opinion.
New information has been released following the incident that occurred during the May 6 match against OCSC and San Diego Loyal.
First, the league announced the conclusion of their investigation:
POST-MATCH REVIEW: WIN OR LOSE, WE WILL ALWAYS FOLLOW YOU
Orange County SC made the trip up north this weekend to face off against the Oakland Roots, who completely dominated the match and sent OC home with a 3-0 loss.
As the boys in Orange and Black took the pitch, there were some notable changes to the lineup for this week; most concerning was to see two of the team's midfielders, Dillon Powers and Daniel Pedersen, filling in as center backs. This choice put much fear in fans from the start that the defense would struggle without Markus Nakkim and Andrew Fox available to play.
May 13th, Match #10 - Orange County SC @ Oakland Roots SC
One positive thing about Orange County, they have had a consistent offense that through nine league games have only been shut out just once. The negative that comes with that staff is the fact that they have only won once.
While the offense is serviceable, the defense has been less than optimal. OCSC have allowed 15 goals which is the worst in the Western Conference and third worst in the USL. It also does not help that this is officially Orange County’s worst start through nine league games as they are only at 6 points.
OCSC Post-Game Recap: OCSC 1-2 SD Loyal
There’s a game to talk about, but much of the future commentary in the coming weeks won’t be focused on the gameplay Saturday night’s contest.
In new head coach Morten Karlsen’s Orange County debut game against Southern California rivals San Diego Loyal,the team ended up on the wrong end of a 2-1 loss to start the month of May. Tensions are always high during meetings between these two teams, and this was no different. Within the first minute of the game, OCSC legend Ronaldo Damus was on display with his new team as he received a long ball over the top, outran defenders, and took a shot. Thankfully, this one went wide, but it was a bittersweet return to Championship Stadium for the 2021 USL Championship Game MVP.
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.
OCSC Points to the Playoffs: April Recap
Things aren’t going well right now.
OCSC needed 3 wins in April to get back on track. Tough, but doable. Instead, they managed just 4 points with a terrible 1-1-3 record.
Game 1 Recap: OCSC 1-1 Draw @ Hartford Athletic
Game 2 Recap: OCSC 0-1 Loss @ El Paso Locomotive FC
Game 3 Recap: OCSC 1-0 Win vs. Indy Eleven
Game 4 Recap: OCSC 1-2 Loss vs. Birmingham Legion
Game 5 Recap: OCSC 1-3 Loss vs. New Mexico United
The team was disjointed and inconsistent most of April from a lack of lineup stability as well as the insistence on deploying the “kick and pray” strategy while attacking. OCSC has lacked an identity up to this point in the season, and if they’re going to have any hope of making a run to the playoffs, they need to find that identity and fast. Defensive miscues and a lack of finishing have put the team in a deep hole. Another month like April, and the playoffs will be all but gone.
Like Him or Not, Richard Chaplow Did What No OC Coach Had Done Before
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.
POST-MATCH REVIEW: BREAKING OUR HEARTS
This weekend Orange County SC visited The Lab, home of New Mexico United, where they left fans brokenhearted and fearful that this could very well be a repeat of last season’s disaster.
**Note from the editor: This article was written prior to the departure of Head Coach Richard Chaplow, and does not otherwise mention this news.