Orange County SC Left Stunned in 4-0 Loss to Detroit City FC
USL Orange County SC

Orange County SC Left Stunned in 4-0 Loss to Detroit City FC

Published on September 6, 2025 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Orange County SC News Release


On a chilly night in Motown, Detroit came out firing, pressing high and dictating the tempo through the opening five minutes. Their aggression forced Orange County onto the back foot, but OCSC quickly steadied themselves, regained composure in midfield, and slowed the match to their rhythm. From there, the visitors began to seize possession and frustrate Detroit, setting the stage for a frenetic first half.

The breakthrough came in the 12th minute when Darren Smith latched onto a long ball lofted over the top. He slipped in behind Vuk Latinovich, and with the aid of a tricky, and perhaps fortuitous bounce off the turf, Smith coolly slotted home to give Detroit the early lead.

But Orange County wasted no time in finding its response. Just four minutes later, Chris Hegardt was brought down in the box by Haruki Yamazaki, leaving the referee no choice but to point to the spot. Ethan Zubak stepped up and hammered his penalty past Carlos Saldana, leveling the score at 1-1.

Yamazaki, however, quickly became a liability. After a string of reckless challenges across the pitch, he was finally shown a yellow in the 21st minute, much to the frustration of OCSC players who felt stricter punishment might have been warranted.

Detroit's physical approach continued to test the referees. In the 29th minute, a foul just outside the box handed Orange County a dangerous set-piece opportunity. Stephen Kelly curled in a teasing delivery, the ball bouncing chaotically in the area before Ethan Zubak acrobatically attempted a bicycle kick, only to see it sail wide, with the offside flag raised regardless. Moments later, an apparent Detroit handball inside the box went uncalled, denying OCSC what should have been a second penalty.

Detroit punished that missed decision swiftly. In the 31st minute, Alassane Diouf peeled away from his marker and latched onto another long ball over the OCSC backline, burying his effort to restore the hosts' advantage. Frustration mounted for Orange County, especially after Vuk Latinovich was shown a highly questionable yellow card just five minutes later for a foul on Diouf that replays suggested never occurred.

The home side struck again in the 40th minute. Amidst a scramble in the box, Jeciel Cedeno pounced on the loose ball, took a steadying touch, and rifled a shot past Colin Shutler to make it 3-1 Detroit.

Tensions boiled over just before the break. In the 45th minute, Devon Amoo-Mensah shoved a defenseless Shutler in the back after a clearance, sending the Orange County goalkeeper crashing to the turf and striking his head. To the disbelief of OCSC, no card was issued. With Shutler's condition uncertain and stoppage time running, the referee opted to whistle for halftime early.

At halftime, Irvine resident Tetsuya Kadono was brought on in goal for his USL Championship regular-season debut, replacing the injured Shutler.

Orange County nearly pulled one back in the 54th minute when Zubak rose to meet a cross from War, directing a powerful header on target. Saldana tipped it over the bar, but instead of a corner, the officials bafflingly awarded Detroit a goal kick, compounding OCSC's frustrations on the night.

The second half saw emotions spill over as a string of questionable calls piled up against Orange County. In the 86th minute, Hegardt's dissent finally earned him a yellow card, emblematic of the visitors' mounting exasperation.

Any hope of a comeback was extinguished in the 88th minute when former OCSC defender Alex Villanueva came back to haunt his old club. He finished clinically to net his first goal of the season, putting the result beyond doubt and sealing Detroit's emphatic 4-1 victory.

Efrain Solis made his regular-season debut in the 89th minute, replacing Hegardt, but the damage had long since been done, and with 4 minutes of stoppage time, Detroit was content to run out the clock.

Orange County returns to Championship Stadium on September 27th for a Back to School Night Match against Charleston Battery. For tickets, click HERE.

Milestones:

Cameron Dunbar made his 100th USL Championship appearance

18-year-old Gavin Karam from Newport Beach, CA, made his first professional start

Efrain Solis made his regular-season debut

TEAM FIRST HALF SECOND HALF FULL TIME

OCSC 1 0 1

DCFC 3 1 4

SCORING SUMMARY:

12' Darren Smith (DET)

16' Ethan Zubak (OCSC) - P

31' Alassane Diouf (DET)

40' Jeciel Cedeno (DET)

88' Alex Villanueva (DET)

DISCIPLINE SUMMARY:

ORANGE COUNTY SC

36' Vuk Latinovich - Yellow Card

56' Nico Benalcazar - Yellow Card

60' Nicola Ciotta - Yellow Card

86' Chris Hegardt - Yellow Card

DETROIT CITY FC

21' Haruki Yamazaki - Yellow Card

27' Darren Smith - Yellow Card

70' Isaiah LeFlore - Yellow Card

ORANGE COUNTY SC LINEUP: (4-4-2)

Colin Shutler (46" Tetsuya Kadono)(GK); Vuk Latinovich, Nicholas Benalcazar, [C], Ashton Miles, Nicola Ciotta (62' Tristan Trager), Stephen Kelly (76' Cameron Dunbar), Ousmane Sylla (46' Malik Pinto), Gavin Karam (46' Roberto Molina), Ethan Zubak, Mouhamadou War, Chris Hegardt (89' Efren Solis)

Unused subs: (GK); Ryan Doghman, Cheick Koné

Head Coach: Danny Stone

Possession: 54% | Shots: 19 | Shots On Goal: 5 | Corners: 6 | Fouls: 16 | Offsides: 4 |

DETROIT CITY FC: (3-4-3)

Carlos Saldana (GK); Darren Smith, Jeciel Cedeno (62' Abdoulaye Diop), Alassane Diouf (62' Jordan Adebayo-Smith), Alex Villanueva, Stephen Carroll, Kobe Hernandez-Foster (76' Jay Chapman), Ryan Williams, Haruki Yamazaki (46' Isaiah LeFlore), Devon Amoo-Mensah, Michael Bryant

Unused subs: Carlos Herrera (GK); Shane Wiedt, Bilal Obeid, Matthew Sheldon

Head Coach: Danny Dichio

Possession: 46% | Shots: 11 | Shots On Goal: 7 | Corners: 2 | Fouls: 19 | Offsides: 2 |

Orange County SC v. Detroit City FC

2025 USL Championship | Matchday 21

Date: September 6, 2025

Venue: Keyworth Stadium, Detroit, MI

Check out the Orange County SC Statistics

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from September 6, 2025


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