July 12, 2024 – United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Orange County SC News Release
Kickoff: Saturday, July 13 (4:30 PM PDT)
Where: Al Lang Stadium (St. Petersburg, FL)
How to Watch: Locally: CBS KCAL 9, Nationally: ESPN+
Orange County SC earned their first victory under interim head coach Paul Hardyman in a 4-1 thrashing of Memphis 901 FC at The Champ last Saturday. Now, the Black and Orange head across the country for a matchup with the Tampa Bay Rowdies. While everyone has fond memories of 2021, OCSC will need to put in another energetic performance if they want to claim their first victory in the series since the USL Championship Final.
TAMPA KEEPS TEAMS AT BAY
The Tampa Bay Rowdies enter Saturday’s match in 4th place in the USL Championship Eastern Conference. The Rowdies have had a stretch in which theoretically, they should not have picked up many points, scoring one goal or less in six of their previous seven matches. However, this is a testament to their backline and offseason signing, goalkeeper Jordan Farr. During that stretch, Tampa Bay went 4-2-1 and shut out their opponents three times. Defensively they rank third in the league in goals allowed (18) and goals allowed per match (1.06). They are led up top by two former Western Conference standouts in former Rising striker Manuel Arteaga (10 G, 1A) and former Lights forward Cal Jennings (9 G, 1 A). Former Loyal wing-back Blake Bodily leads the side with five assists.
2024 Regular Season Record: 8-5-4 (4th in USL-C Eastern Conference)
Goals Scored: 29 I Goals Allowed: 18 I Clean Sheets: 6
Players to Watch:
F Manuel Arteaga
GK Jordan Farr
AN OFFENSIVE FIREWORK DISPLAY
Orange County SC found their scoring boots in a 4-1 thrashing over Memphis 901 FC last Saturday, July 6. Goals from Next Wave star Bryce Jamison, forward Ethan Zubak, a Goal of the Week nominee from defender Owen Lambe, and the first in Black and Orange for forward Christian Sorto lit up the scoreboard for OCSC on Fourth of July Weekend. It was their highest goal scoring output of the 2024 USL Championship season, and their highest goal scoring total since a 5-1 victory over Las Vegas Lights FC last season. It was the first win for Paul Hardyman as interim head coach, who praised his squad’s performance postgame, crediting their energy and work rate that led to their best performance on the scoreboard so far this season. The next challenge for the Black and Orange is building momentum and turning it into consistency, as they are looking…
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