Irvine, Calif. (August 18, 2017) Orange County SC welcome Phoenix Rising FC back to the Orange County Great Park. This is the second time the Phoenix based team will visit the OC Great Park this season. However, this will be the first time they will meet at the new Championship Soccer Stadium offering a different atmosphere from when the teams first met. Phoenix will come back into town with their world–class offensive firepower with the likes of Didier Drogba, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Omar Bravo. In the previous match-up OCSC were able to bottle the Rising FC attack for the entire 90 minutes of play but unfortunately conceded in stoppage time. The goal that tied the affair came late and from a direct free kick. It came against the run of play and the result was definitely a draw that felt more like a loss as Orange County SC missed crucial points.
The sequel will be a stern test for both teams as they plan on making their playoffs intentions clear. Currently Orange County SC is one point out of a playoff spot in the USL Western Conference. A win this evening will place them in the 8th and final slot and put more significant separation between themselves and Phoenix Rising FC who are a few more points behind.
In order for OCSC to retain points at home they must do a better job at creating more dangerous opportunities on the opponent’s goal. They have netted just three goals in the last six games. They will need to rely much on the efforts of frontmen Jerry van Ewijk and Monday Etim to find the back of the net. On Tuesday against Tulsa Roughnecks FC they struggled at penetrating the backline and challenging the Tulsa keeper. Orange County SC’s best chance of the match came in the 17th minute and fell to Captain Richard Chaplow. Chaplow found himself in acres of free space at the top of the box but was closed down quickly by perusing defenders. On his first touch he faked a shot and dribbled clear round the Tulsa defenders. His subsequent shot had plenty of power but not enough accuracy as it went straight at keeper Fabian Cerda. All Cerda could do was parry it wide for a corner kick.
OCSC will build on the defensive performance of the match. They limited Tulsa’s opportunities on Charlie Lyon’s goal. The visitors nearly capitalized on an early opportunity through a misplaced pass in the Orange County SC defensive third that found the feet of Joey Calistri. He took on two defenders but his shot was well defended and deflected wide for a corner kick. The hope is that the stout defensive play will return in the next contest and OCSC will get a clean sheet and three points.
OC Keys to the game:
- Score multiple goals
- Deny service to strikers
- Stay compact from back to front
ABOUT ORANGE COUNTY SOCCER CLUB:
The Orange County Soccer Club is Orange County’s Professional Soccer Team. The club was one of 12 founding members of the new United Soccer League (USL) in its inaugural 2011 season. The predecessor club Orange County Blues were the 2015 Western Conference Regular Season Champions and have reached the Western Conference Semi-finals of the USL Playoffs in back-to-back seasons. The club’s brand-new owner, James Keston, is the Chief Investment Officer of LARO Properties, and will actively oversee all operations of the USL club in Orange County. Keston is dedicated to transforming the club into a world-class professional soccer organization that focuses on the fans, players, and youth clubs of Orange County.
For more information about Orange County Soccer Club or to purchase tickets, visit: https://sportsengine-staging.go-vip.net/orangecountysoccer.
Contact: Kelly Salmieri: VP, Marketing & Community Relations, kelly@https://sportsengine-staging.go-vip.net/orangecountysoccer, 805.844.0856