Orange County SC (2-3-3, 9pts, 14th in West) vs. Phoenix Rising FC (2-1-5, 11 pts., 11th in West)
7:00 PM (MST), Saturday, Casino Arizona Field West, Irvine, CA
TV: CW 6 & 61.1
Live Stream: ESPN+ (subscription required)
MatchCenter: #OCvPHX
Series History: Phoenix leads the series 8-5-5
Phoenix Rising Last Match: Phoenix went to Sacramento, a difficult place to play, and came home with their 5th draw of the season. The gameplan changed in the early going with the injury to Jason Johnson but Phoenix was still able to attempt 15 shots, however, only 3 were on target. On the other end of the field, Zac Lubin earned his fourth clean sheet of the season in only his fifth appearance, only needing to make 2 saves. Levon Lambert shined once again, make sure to read Joe Lowry’s review of his play here.
Team News: Zac Lubin has been nominated for USL Player of the Month for the month of April. You can vote for Lubin and see the other nominees here……It appears the Jon Bakero is back with the team after being away for a couple of weeks……….There is no injury update for Joey Farrell and Jason Johnson……..Devin Vega, Ben Spencer, and Joey Calistri and played in FC Tucson’s 2-0 win over the Lansing Ignite with Vega scoring his second of the season………Unfortunately, Solomon Asante’ father has passed away, it remains to be seen if he will be available tonight.
Orange County SC: The reigning (regular) season Western Conference champs have had the same slow start to the season that Phoenix has experienced, with only wins against Colorado Springs and Tacoma. OCSC had the tall task of replacing Thomas Enevoldsen. So far it appears that Darwin Jones has stepped into the role, leading the team with 4 goals so far. The team also brought in Harry Forrester and Liam Trotter, both midfielders with experience overseas. Though the team has given up 14 goals already this year, Aaron Cervantes, the US U-17, has impressed following the departure of Andre Rawls.
Team Form (Last 5 Played)
Orange County SC: L-W-W-L-D
Phoenix Rising FC: D-W-L-W-D
Tale of the Tape
| Orange County | Team Leaders | Phoenix |
|---|---|---|
| Darwin Jones (4) | Goals | Junior Flemmings (4) |
| Aodhan Quinn, Liam Trotter (2) | Assists | Solomon Asante (4) |
| Jerry van Ewijk (14) | Key Passes | Solomon Asante (30) |
| Walker Hume (63%) | Duels Won % | AJ Cochran (74%) |
| Patrick McLain (6) | Saves | Carl Woszczynski (15) |
| Harry Forrester (649) | Minutes | Solomon Asante (712) |
Predicted Lineup
