For the first time since 2017, Orange County SC advanced to the Third Round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.A goal in the 90th minute had no effect on the outcome of the 2022 US Open Cup Second Round match as Orange Country SC topped LA Force, 5-2 and advanced to the Round 3.
“Delighted to obviously be in the hat for the next round. I thought it was a professional performance. Disappointed, though, I think to not come away with a clean sheet,” said Orange County head coach Richard Chaplow. “We’ve conceded two in the end, but we put ourselves in a silly position at halftime going in conceding a sloppy goal. But overall, obviously, the game is about winning. And we did that.”
The first 10 minutes of the match kept a steady pace before OC SC and L.A. Force were able to create opportunities.
An absolute cannon from @KobiHenry3 🤯 https://t.co/x7PrMHieMt
— Orange County SC (@orangecountysc) April 6, 2022
Both teams held a 50/50 possession with no attempts at goal. It was until the 12th minute when OC SC’s Sean Okoli took his first shot on goal, but the shot just barely skimmed the goal post and lost the opportunity to put his team on the board.
OCSC used that close opportunity as more motivation to gain the first goal and they succeeded. In the 24th minute, OC SC Daniel Pederson saw his chance with a straight shot to the back of the net and took the lead, 1-0.
Just six minutes later in the 30th minute, OC SC Milan Iloski was able to read the direction of the play that L.A. Force goalie Brandon H. Gomez was about to make causing hesitation and loss of the ball.
Iloski reacted to it quickly and raised the score to 2-0.
“My dad always told me growing up to read it through their eyes. So I know when I saw the ball go back to him and the center back open up. I saw his eyes look where the guy was and I was able to meet it and cut off the path,” Iloski said.
BLOOP 😎 pic.twitter.com/Ewlt30ZIjb
— Orange County SC (@orangecountysc) April 6, 2022
With OC SC in the lead, L.A. Force slowly lost their shape in the backfield and another minor mistake in the defense left another open chance for OC SC to capitalize. Reading the movement of the ball OC SC’s Okoli was able to get a light touch on the ball as it moved past the defender and directed it to the net.
OC SC led 3-0, with plenty of time left in the first half.
Now that L.A. Force was trailing far behind, the team increased their pressure on OC SC’s offensive which resulted in L.A. Force, Kyle O’Brien receiving the first yellow card of the match.
The yellow card riled up both teams, but L.A. Force used that energy to gain their first goal in the half in the 36th minute. Samuel Goni had a straight shot from within the goalie box that shifted the score to 3-1.
OCSC was left a bit frazzled following the goal and lost sight of their formation for a few minutes, but was able to adjust right at the end of the first half.
Returning for the second half, OCSC was able to recuperate from the goal they had given up prior and regained their composure.
“We’re leading three zero and then they got the goal on our mistake and felt like it was the only way they could get back into the game was on our mistakes,” Pederson said. “So we just talked about to be a little bit better on the ball and take care of the ball. Don’t lose it in bad situations.”
However, that would cease when a foul in the 50th minute in the OC SC goalie box put one of its players in an unsafe situation. Immediately after the foul, players reacted to that situation in a minor scuffle as tension rose while they waited for officials to make a decision on the outcome of the play.
Both L.A. Force Jaime Chavez and OC SC goalie Patrick Rakovsky were awarded yellow cards once it settled.
TAKE A LOOK AT THIS CRACKER! 💥
33′ | Orange County 3-1 LA Force pic.twitter.com/wEUM7d1hTH
— Orange County SC (@orangecountysc) April 6, 2022
“That happens in football. So of course, you know, it’s a little bit heated,” Pederson said. “I think it was a bad foul. I think it was dangerous and I think that should have been penalized a little bit harder than if I fall in the midfield because something bad could really happen there.”
It was a pivotal moment for both teams as aggression increased on the field. Yet, it would not phase OC SC as they continued to hold their formation and move offensively with one another.
Just three minutes after the commotion, in the 53rd minute, Mikko Kuningas would contribute to OC SC’s lead after clearing the ball right in front of the goalie line.
A 4-1 lead in the second half, allowed for fresh players to take the field. From the 62nd to the 66th minute, OC SC used all five of its substitutions which held positive effects for the remainder of the game.
Seven minutes after being substituted in, OC SC’s Kobe Henry added his name to the scoring list in the 68th minute after his shot brushed between the goalie’s hand and the top of the net.
OCSC would lead 5-1 with less than 20 minutes in the match.
The remaining time of the match would mirror much like the end of the first half. Emotions and intensity rose higher and OC SC would once again slowly feel the offensive push from L.A. Force; losing their formation.
In the final minute of the match, L.A. Force Clayton Torr would complete an assist from Jose Villareal during the moment OC SC would lose its structure. Yet, the score would remain in OC SC’s favor, 5-2.
OCSC will now move to the fourth round and learn who their next competitor is on Friday, April 8th.
Until then the team will focus on areas that Chaplow saw during the match that needed improvement not only for the next round but for their spring season.
“I think first and foremost being a little bit more defense defensively sound, you know, having a bit of a better defensive structure,” Chaplow said. “Naturally the players are excited, they want to go and score goals. So there’s probably, you know, focusing on having a little bit more control in those moments. That’s all that matters.”
