Orange County SC

Orange County SC
Full nameOrange County Soccer Club
Founded1998 (1998) (as Los Angeles Blues)
StadiumChampionship Soccer Stadium
Irvine, California
Capacity5,000
OwnersJames Keston
Community Ownership
CoachDanny Stone
LeagueUSL Championship
20256th, Western Conference
Playoffs: Conference Semifinals
Websiteorangecountysoccer.com

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

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

History

The then Los Angeles Blues were made by Iranian-American Ali Mansouri in 1998 and announced as a USL Pro team on December 7, 2010.[1][2][3][4][5] The team was a part of the United Soccer Leagues W-League team LA Blues, and was part of the larger Orange County Blues group, which has competed in Los Angeles-area amateur leagues since 1998.[6]

During the 2012 season, the Los Angeles Blues changed their name to the Orange County Blues FC. This was due to a disagreement between the club and its fans, who wanted the club to be named after the area where the club played soccer.[7]

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.[8][9]

In the 2021 season, Head Coach Braden Cloutier was let go during the season and replaced by Assistant Coach Richard Chaplow.[10] OCSC went on to end up second in the Pacific Division, and played in the USL Championship Final, defeating Tampa Bay Rowdies in at St. Petersburg, Florida, 3–1.[11]

Stadium

In October 2023, the City of Irvine and Orange County SC created a 5-year agreement for the team to play in Championship Soccer Stadium.[12] On October 23, City Council agreed to the deal. The 5-year agreement includes one 5-year renewal.[13]

Club culture

Fan groups

Orange County has one main fan group, named the County Line Coalition.[14] A fan group that was made in 2014 when the team changed their name from the Los Angeles Blues to the Orange County Blues SC,[15] they sit in the left corner of the team's stadium behind the north goalpost, singing songs similar to popular music, like "Take Me Home, Country Roads" by John Denver.[16]

Mascot

On April 9, 2021, Orange County showed their new mascot, Gnarly.[17] He is an orange monster that can be seen during games and at Orange County SC activities around the county.[18]

Players and staff

Current team

As of June 25, 2025[19]

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  United States Colin Shutler
2 DF  United States Grayson Doody
3 DF  United States Koa Santos
4 DF  United States Nico Benalcazar
5 DF  England Tom Brewitt (Captain)
6 MF  United States Kyle Scott
7 FW  United States Cameron Dunbar
8 MF  Senegal Ousmane Sylla
9 FW  United States Ethan Zubak
10 FW  United States Tristan Trager
11 FW  United States Bryce Jamison (on loan from Colorado Rapids)
13 DF  United States Pedro Guimaraes
14 MF  United States Chris Hegardt
17 FW  Switzerland Lyam MacKinnon
No. Pos. Nation Player
19 MF  United States Kevin Partida
20 DF  United States Vuk Latinovich
21 FW  Japan Mouhamadou War
23 DF  Norway Ryan Doghman
24 FW  United States Benjamin Barjolo
26 FW  Ivory Coast Cheick Koné
27 MF  Scotland Stephen Kelly
28 MF  United States Gavan Karam
29 MF  United States Oliver Kurnik
30 DF  United States Daniel Garcia
31 GK  Japan Tetsuya Kadono
32 DF  United States Nicola Ciotta
33 DF  United States Ashton Miles
35 GK  United States Fernando Aguirre
— GK  United States Adoniayah Aemiro
  1. ^ USL Academy Contract

Office

  • James Keston – Owner & CEO[20]
  • Peter Nugent – Sports Director
  • Dan Rutstein - Interim President of Business Operations

Coaches

  • Danny Stone - Head Coach
  • Robert Earnshaw – Helper Coach
  • Didier Crettenand – Helper Coach
  • Victor Nogueira – Goalkeeping Coach

List of head coaches

  • Charlie Naimo (2011–2012)
  • Jesus Rico-Sanz (2012–2013)
  • Dariush Yazdani (2013–2014)
  • Oliver Wyss (2014–2016)
  • Barry Venison (2016)
  • Logan Pause (2017)
  • Braeden Cloutier (2018–2021)
  • Richard Chaplow (2021–2023)
  • Morten Karlsen (2023–2024)
  • Paul Hardyman (2024)
  • Danny Stone (2024-)

Record

Year-by-year

This is a small 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 Sean Okoli 7
2021 32 15 10 7 44 37 +7 52 1.63 2nd 7th W NH 3,302 Ronaldo Damus 16
2022 34 7 14 13 49 59 -10 34 1.00 13th 23rd DNQ R3 4,230 Milan Iloski 22 ♦
2023 34 17 11 6 46 39 +7 57 1.68 2nd 5th SF R3 4,411 Milan Iloski 17
2024 34 13 14 7 40 47 -7 46 1.35 6th 14th SF R32 4,138 Ethan 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.

Honors

  • USL Championship
    • Winners: 2021
  • USL Championship Western Conference (playoffs)
    • Winners: 2021
  • USL Championship Western Conference (regular season)
    • Winners (2): 2015, 2018

References

  1. ↑ "Irvine-based soccer team changes ownership". Orange County Register. September 8, 2016. Archived from the original on June 15, 2018. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 USLSoccer.com Staff (September 8, 2016). "Blues Purchased by Southern California Businessman Keston". United Soccer League. Archived from the original on April 11, 2018. 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. ↑ Register, Kimberly Pierceall | Orange County (February 7, 2014). "Professional soccer team makes move to Irvine". Orange County Register. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  8. ↑ USLSoccer.com Staff (December 7, 2016). "LAFC, Orange County Blues FC Announce Multi-Year Partnership". United Soccer League. Archived from the original on December 10, 2017. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
  9. ↑ MLSSoccer.com Staff (December 14, 2018). "LAFC announce end of USL affiliation with Orange County SC". Alicia Rodriguez. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  10. ↑ "Orange County SC dismiss head coach Braeden Cloutier". Archived from the original on August 20, 2021. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Orange County SC drops Rowdies to win its first USL Championship title - SBI Soccer". sbisoccer.com. November 30, 2021. Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  12. ↑ "Orange County SC - City of Irvine - Great Park Championship Soccer Stadium Use Proposal". Orange & Black SoccerCast. October 8, 2023. Archived from the original on February 2, 2024. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  13. ↑ https://irvine.granicus.com/DocumentViewer.php?file=irvine_abf1f033e995c906f5d334e4952c0a44.pdf&view=1. Archived from the original on February 2, 2024. Retrieved February 2, 2024. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  14. ↑ "Home | County Line Coalition". County LineCoalition. Archived from the original on June 18, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  15. ↑ "Supporters Groups". Orange County SC. Archived from the original on June 18, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  16. ↑ "Supporter Chants". Orange County SC. Archived from the original on June 18, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  17. ↑ "EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE ORANGE COUNTY SC HOSTS SAN ANTONIO". Orange County SC. Archived from the original on June 18, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  18. ↑ Turner, Andrew (August 13, 2022). "City of Irvine considering options for future use of Championship Soccer Stadium". Daily Pilot. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  19. ↑ "Roster". Orange County Soccer Club. Archived from the original on June 24, 2024. Retrieved March 10, 2025.
  20. ↑ "Front Office". Orange County Soccer Club. Retrieved March 10, 2025.

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