It was more of the same for the lineup we saw Orange County use last week against El Paso. They got another injury boost in that of Brandon Cambridge making his return to the field as a substitute. It was another game as well that OC was able to count on its offense to come through and Alex Rando with another five-star performance.

I felt that there were still some questions last week particularly on the right side of the field with Efren Solis and Nico Benalcazar. Every time that I seem to have doubts about who should start there, Efren Solis continues to go and continues to be impressive. If he continues to perform then the 18 year old should be starting. Nico Benalcazar can play anywhere and last week saw him fill in at right back. It is an interesting situation that Danny Stone sees himself in with Nico being OC’s best player at his unnatural position that he can start over a good number of players. Alex Rando is amazing and I cannot see him not getting a start in a league game moving forward.

THE MATCHUP

Tampa Bay may have been the best in form team all season but it has actually been Orange County with the best current run of form. In the past 8 league games, OC has earned 18 points which is the most in the USL across that span. If you as a fan could only go to one OC home game all season, this would be your pick. While a lot is on the line for both teams, OC may be the one with more to gain and subsequently lose. Orange County are currently on a 9-game unbeaten run in the league, which ties them for a club record dating all the way back to 2023. Tampa Bay Rowdies are the better team when looking at the underlying metrics and advanced analytics but OC have won games with some questionable performances. This is a team that plays up and down to competition so we can expect a very good team to take the pitch on Saturday.

WHAT TO KNOW

Game – vs Tampa Bay Rowdies (USL Championship)

When – August 8th, 7:00 PM PST

Where – Championship Soccer Stadium (Irvine, CA)

OCSC Form – WWLDD

TBR Form – WWDWL

All-Time Series – 1-1-2 (4 Games)

TV – ESPN+, KCAL+ Channel 9.6