This week, Orange County SC made the trip to Oklahoma to face off against FC Tulsa, hoping to fight for their first win in an away match this season.
One element that Orange County SC has struggled with all season long is inconsistency in their lineup and available players. Either through injuries or suspension, some of OCSC's best talent has been absent, but looking at the lineup this Saturday, there were some welcome returns of both Kevin Partida and Ashish Chattha.
For the first time in a while, Orange County SC look to be in their best form. Coming off a convincing 2-0 victory last week against RGV, OC now set their sights to Colorado Springs looking to win their first road game of the year.
Tonight is a good test to see just how much progress Karlsen has made with an inherited squad. A win would not only be the first away game since last season but will also be the first time OC will win two consecutive games since the nine-game streak in 2021 that culminated in a title. While one team is looking to have made the turn the other is in the midst of a five-game losing streak.
Despite the rough stretch for the Switchbacks they are still currently a playoff team. However a win on Saturday for Orange County would put them level on points with said playoff team at 16 points.
An amazing celebration of Pride Night at Championship Stadium saw Orange County SC welcome Rio Grande Valley FC Toros to their only home game of June.
FIRST HALF
Under the leadership of Morten Karlsen, Orange County SC has gradually performed stronger each week, and they looked to continue that trend against the Toros. The defensive form of the orange & black squad has been excellent in the past few games; however, they have unfortunately not had the same success with the offense. As a result, fans have been worried about this team's ability to find a solid finishing touch and were cautiously optimistic that everything would finally come together in this match.
In the 4th minute, Kyle Scott and Milan Iloski gave fans exactly what they had hoped for. After capitalizing on a mistake, Scott took a turnover at the half line and broke through the Toros' defensive line with Milan beside him for support. Scott pushed the ball forward to Milan for a 1v1 with RGV keeper Carlos Merancio where he easily found the back corner of the net, giving OCSC an incredibly early lead.
The good news for Orange County is that the defense has looked to have settled down, giving up only one goal in their past three games. The offense has decided to outdo their counterparts by only scoring one goal in the past four games.
However one thing that OC will have going for them this Saturday evening is the recent dominance they have shown against their opponent, Rio Grande Valley FC. The Toros were one of two Western Conference opponents that OC swept last season with the other being LA Galaxy II. Up to this point in the season, OC are in 11th place in the Western Conference with 10 points.
RGV are only one point better which is good enough to put them in 10th place in the West. This matchup serves as a battle of teams who are currently under the playoff line which means that a win could be massive for either side.
On another trip to the east coast, Orange County SC faced off against Miami FC for the second time in club history. The battle ended in a draw, but the growth in strategy and return of players from OCSC leaves fans with hope that the tides may turn on this season’s bad luck.
Certain games throughout the season can serve as good reminders about the states of clubs. This will be interim-head coach Morten Karlsen’s fifth game at the helm and will be a good indication just how much OC have improved or remained the same.
This will be only Orange County’s second trip East of the Mississippi this season. In fact it will be OC’s first time ever playing in the city of Miami, Florida. In the meantime the Boys in Orange are coming off a disappointing home defeat to Phoenix in a match that they really should have gotten at least a point from. After that, OC currently stands at 11th in the West on 9 points.
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.
