May 20th, Match #12 - Orange County SC vs Phoenix Rising FC
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.
OCSC II Open Up USL Academy Season With Convincing Win
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.
POST-MATCH REVIEW: IMPACTFUL CHANGES MAKE THE DIFFERENCE
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.