Orange County SC (original) (raw)

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American soccer team

Soccer club

Orange County SC
Full name Orange County Soccer Club
Founded 1998; 26 years ago (1998) (as Los Angeles Blues)
Stadium Championship Soccer StadiumIrvine, California
Capacity 5,000
Owners James KestonCommunity Ownership
Coach Danny Stone
League USL Championship
2024 6th, Western ConferencePlayoffs: Conference Semifinals
Website orangecountysoccer.com
Home colors Away colors Third colors
Current season

Orange County Soccer Club is an American soccer team based in the Orange County, California city of Irvine. Founded in 2010 as the Los Angeles Blues, the team currently plays in the Western Conference of the USL Championship, the second tier of the American soccer system.

The team plays its home games at Championship Soccer Stadium, located inside Great Park in Irvine.

The then Los Angeles Blues were founded by Iranian-American businessman Ali Mansouri in 1998 and announced as a USL Pro expansion franchise on December 7, 2010.[1][2][3][4][5] The team was associated with the United Soccer Leagues W-League team LA Blues, and is part of the larger Orange County Blues organization, which has competed in Los Angeles-area amateur leagues since 1998. They introduced their first three players—goalkeeper Oscar Dautt and midfielders Cesar Rivera and Josh Tudela—at a formal launch event on December 14, 2010.[6]

After an extensive pre-season, the Blues played their first games in the Caribbean over the weekend of April 15–17, 2011, a 3–0 victory over Sevilla Puerto Rico, and a 2–1 victory over Antigua Barracuda. The first goal in franchise history was scored by Cesar Rivera.[7]

In January 2012, the Blues announced the hiring of Steve Donner (formerly CEO of Orlando City) as vice president of business operations to focus on improving marketing for the club and to bring professionalism to the front-office.[8] The first game of the 2012 season reflected these efforts with a 2,432 attendance compared to 696 for the first home game in 2011 (the Blues averaged 382 during the 2011 season).

In 2016, the team was purchased by American businessman James Keston, rebranded to Orange County SC.[2] Prior to the 2017 season, Orange County became the USL affiliate of Los Angeles FC in a multi-year deal, which was ended after 2018.[9][10] The team won the Western Conference Regular Season Title in 2018 with 20 Wins, 8 losses and 6 ties. They defeated Saint Louis FC and Reno 1868 FC before losing 2–1 to Phoenix Rising FC in the Western Conference Final.[11] Thomas Enevoldsen scored 20 goals and was named to the All-League First Team along with Aodhan Quinn.[12]

In the 2021 season, Head Coach Braden Cloutier was dismissed mid-season and replaced by Assistant Coach Richard Chaplow.[13] OCSC went on to finish second in the Pacific Division, and advance to the USL Championship Final, defeating Tampa Bay Rowdies away at St. Petersburg, Florida, 3–1 in regulation.[14]

The 2022 season saw Richard Chaplow earn a last place Western Conference finish, despite Milan Iloski earning the USL Championship Golden Boot award.[15] Orange County SC finished the 2022 season 7-14-13 with 34 points, last in the Western Conference.[16]

The 2023 season also did not start strong for Orange County, with just one win in eight games, with a 1-4-3 record before the team relieved Chaplow of duties and promoted newly hired assistant coach Morten Karlsen to interim head coach on May 1, 2023.[17] Karlsen led the team to a season-end 2nd place Western Conference placement at 17-11-6, earning two consecutive USL Championship Coach of the Month awards for July and August.[18] Coach Karlsen was appointed as Head Coach on a multi-year contract, announced November 2023.[19]

Orange County lost star forward Milan Iloski during the 2024 January transfer window to Danish Superliga club FC Nordsjælland.[20][21] The loss of the former Golden Boot winner resulted in Orange County having a mediocre start to their 2024 season, with a record of 6-3-6 by late June.[22] This start contributed to Coach Karlsen making a transfer in the middle of the season to another club in the Danish Superliga, Lyngby BK.[23] He was replaced by the assistant coach, Paul Hardyman,[24] who after being labelled as an interim coach, was promoted to lead as the official coach,[25] before he himself was sacked by the team and replaced by another assistant coach Danny Stone after a six-game winless streak.[26] Under Danny Stone, Orange County was able to rescue their season and clinch a visit to the playoffs, where they were eliminated in the Western conference semi-finals against the Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC.[27]

View of the main grandstand in the Championship Soccer Stadium on August 3, 2024 from the Northwest corner of the stadium

In October 2023, it was announced the City of Irvine and Orange County SC had drafted a 5-year agreement for the team to operate Championship Soccer Stadium.[28] On October 23, City Council voted unanimously to approve the deal, striking a stadium naming right clause in the agreement for separate negotiation and later City Council approval.[29] The 5-year agreement includes one 5-year renewal.

Orange County competes in the 405 Derby against rivals Ventura County FC, formerly known as LA Galaxy II, nicknamed after Interstate-405, an interstate highway that links between Orange County and Los Angeles County.[30] The clubs were in a dispute over who would play at Championship Soccer Stadium in late 2022, after leaked documents showed the Galaxy organization attempted to seize full-time usage of the venue.[31] The rivalry has slowed down as of late, as after LA Galaxy II moved to MLS Next, the third tier of the American soccer system, both teams have only met in pre-season friendlies.[32][33]

The County Line Coalition during an August 2024 match against North Carolina FC

Orange County has one main supporter group, named the County Line Coalition.[34] A zero-fee supporter group that was founded in 2014 in correspondence with the rebrand from the Los Angeles Blues to the Orange County Blues SC,[35] they mainly sit in the left corner of the general seating bleachers behind the north goalpost, chanting and singing songs adapted to the tune of popular music, like "Take Me Home, Country Roads" by John Denver, amongst others.[36]

Gnarley during an August 2024 match as he walks around the stadium

On April 9, 2021, Orange County introduced their new mascot, Gnarley.[37] He is an orange, surf-themed monster that can be typically seen on game day and at various Orange County SC activities around the county.[38]

As of December 18, 2024[39]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

  1. ^
    USL Academy Contract

This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by the club. For the full season-by-season history, see List of Orange County SC seasons.

Season League Position Playoffs USOC Continental / Other Average attendance Top goalscorer(s)
Div League Pld W L D GF GA GD Pts PPG Conf. Overall Name Goals
2020 2 USLC 16 7 6 3 18 18 0 24 1.50 9th 17th DNQ NH DNQ 3,188 United States Sean Okoli 7
2021 32 15 10 7 44 37 +7 52 1.63 2nd 7th W NH 3,302 Haiti Ronaldo Damus 16
2022 34 7 14 13 49 59 -10 34 1.00 13th 23rd DNQ R3 4,230 United States Milan Iloski 22 ♦
2023 34 17 11 6 46 39 +7 57 1.68 2nd 5th SF R3 4,411 United States Milan Iloski 17
2024 34 13 14 7 40 47 -7 46 1.35 6th 14th SF R3 4,138 United StatesEthan Zubak 11

^ 1. Avg. attendance include statistics from league matches only.
^ 2. Top goalscorer(s) includes all goals scored in league play, playoffs, U.S. Open Cup, and other competitive matches.

  1. ^ "Irvine-based soccer team changes ownership". Orange County Register. September 8, 2016. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  2. ^ a b USLSoccer.com Staff (September 8, 2016). "Blues Purchased by Southern California Businessman Keston". United Soccer League. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  3. ^ "Mehrshad Momeni: Consumed by the Game". OurSports Central. August 10, 2011. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  4. ^ "OC Blues 2015 Player Postmortem: Mehrshad Momeni". Angels on Parade. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  5. ^ LA Blues Set to Play in USL PRO Archived December 10, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ "Los Angeles Blues Sign First Three Players". Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved December 15, 2010.
  7. ^ "United Soccer Leagues (USL)". Archived from the original on April 23, 2011. Retrieved April 19, 2011.
  8. ^ Scott French (April 13, 2012). L.A. BLUES: Starting over, with a plan. ESPNLosAngeles.com.
  9. ^ USLSoccer.com Staff (December 7, 2016). "LAFC, Orange County Blues FC Announce Multi-Year Partnership". United Soccer League. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
  10. ^ MLSSoccer.com Staff (December 14, 2018). "LAFC announce end of USL affiliation with Orange County SC". Alicia Rodriguez. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  11. ^ Merk, Carson (November 4, 2018). "Record Season for Orange County Ends. Phoenix Rises". OrangeCountySoccer.com. Archived from the original on September 10, 2020. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  12. ^ "Orange County SC Aodhan Quinn and Thomas Enevoldsen Named to 2018 USL All-League First Team". Orange County SC Staff. OrangeCountySoccer.com. November 5, 2018. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  13. ^ "Orange County SC dismiss head coach Braeden Cloutier".
  14. ^ "Orange County SC drops Rowdies to win its first USL Championship title - SBI Soccer". sbisoccer.com. November 30, 2021. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  15. ^ "MILAN ILOSKI WINS THE FIRST GOLDEN BOOT IN CLUB HISTORY". Orange County SC. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  16. ^ "Standings". uslchampionship.com. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  17. ^ "CLUB STATEMENT". Orange County SC. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  18. ^ "HEAD COACH MORTEN KARLSEN BECOMES THE FIRST COACH IN CLUB HISTORY TO WIN USL CHAMPIONSHIP COACH OF THE MONTH". Orange County SC. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  19. ^ "ORANGE COUNTY SC APPOINTS MORTEN KARLSEN AS HEAD COACH WITH NEW MULTI-YEAR CONTRACT". Orange County SC. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  20. ^ Burke, Elias. "Orange County SC's Milan Iloski moves to Nordsjaelland, continuing trend in USL". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  21. ^ "Orange County SC's Milan Iloski headed to Europe after USL season". Orange County Register. September 13, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  22. ^ "Indy Eleven vs Orange County SC - Final Score - Standings - June 22, 2024". FOX Sports. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  23. ^ "Morten Karlsen er Lyngbys nye cheftræner - Lyngby Boldklub". lyngby-boldklub.dk (in Danish). June 25, 2024. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  24. ^ "ORANGE COUNTY SC AND LYNGBY BK AGREE TO TERMS AS HEAD COACH MORTEN KARLSEN HEADS TO DENMARK". Orange County SC. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  25. ^ "ORANGE COUNTY SC NAMES PAUL HARDYMAN HEAD COACH FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE SEASON". Orange County SC. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  26. ^ "ORANGE COUNTY SC PARTS WAYS WITH HEAD COACH PAUL HARDYMAN". Orange County SC. August 29, 2024. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  27. ^ Murray, Nicholas (November 10, 2024). "Zach Zandi lifts Switchbacks to extra time victory against Orange County". USL Championship. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  28. ^ "Orange County SC - City of Irvine - Great Park Championship Soccer Stadium Use Proposal". Orange & Black SoccerCast. October 8, 2023. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  29. ^ https://irvine.granicus.com/DocumentViewer.php?file=irvine_abf1f033e995c906f5d334e4952c0a44.pdf&view=1.
  30. ^ "EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW WHEN ORANGE COUNTY SC VISITS LOS DOS". orangecountysoccer.com. July 21, 2022. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  31. ^ Calhoun, Damian (August 8, 2022). "Irvine City Council's plans to discuss use of Championship Soccer Stadium moved off of agenda". The Orange County Register. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  32. ^ lagalaxy. "LA Galaxy II To Join MLS NEXT Pro Beginning In 2023 | LA Galaxy". lagalaxy. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
  33. ^ Rodriguez, Alicia (December 6, 2021). "LA Galaxy to enter MLS Next Pro league in 2023". LAG Confidential. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
  34. ^ "Home | County Line Coalition". County LineCoalition. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  35. ^ "Supporters Groups". Orange County SC. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  36. ^ "Supporter Chants". Orange County SC. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  37. ^ "EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE ORANGE COUNTY SC HOSTS SAN ANTONIO". Orange County SC. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  38. ^ Turner, Andrew (August 13, 2022). "City of Irvine considering options for future use of Championship Soccer Stadium". Daily Pilot. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  39. ^ "Roster". Orange County Soccer Club. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
  40. ^ "Front Office". Orange County Soccer Club. Retrieved August 16, 2022.