On Wednesday night, Orange County SC handed Sacramento Republic their first loss of the USL season. It was a near perfect game that was reminiscent of successful games of past years but more importantly it was a much needed win.

Wednesday night’s victory could not have come at a better time as OC will shift their focus from one Western Conference stalwart to another in that of Phoenix Rising FC. The former powerhouse in the West, Phoenix have had mediocre seasons the past couple years and this year might not be much different. Through 9 league games Phoenix only sit in 9th in the West with just three wins to show for it. However their record does not tell the whole story as they have had a number of impressive performances the last couple weeks.

The USL Academy season is upon us and serves as prime development for a number of up and coming prospects to improve their skills and make the jump into professional soccer. For Orange County their academy team Orange County SC II is placed into the Southwest Division along with academy teams from Phoenix Rising, San Diego Loyal, Arizona Arsenal SC, FC Tucson, and Ventura County Fusion.

OCSC II in the past have been mostly youth players under 20 years of age while also fielding a couple of fringe first-team players. This year’s team includes first teamers like Jonathan Gomez, Joseph Buckley, and Nico Ruiz. Their first test of the season came at home against the Phoenix Rising FC Academy this past Friday night, May 19 2023.