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Orange County SC Signs Former Reno 1868 FC Captain Brent Richards

December 17, 2020 - United Soccer League Championship (USL) - Orange County SC News Release


Irvine, CA - Orange County SC announced today that the club has acquired defender Brent Richards, pending league and federation approval. Richards is the second new player acquisition announced prior to the 2021 season.

"We are delighted to add Brent, a great leader and top professional to our roster," said OCSC President of Soccer Operations, Oliver Wyss. "Brent is a winner and his experience will have a significant impact on our team!"

Richards, 30, is a USL veteran who has played in over 130 USL matches tallying 9 goals and 17 assists. Last season, Richards, an attacking right-back, scored 4 goals and had 2 assists in 16 appearances.

Richards is coming off an illustrious four-year career with Reno 1868 FC. He leads the all-time list in career games played (105) and starts (103) for the club. He has also made the playoffs in each of his four years with the Reno 1868 FC. Richards wore the Captain's armband in 11 matches during the 2019 season and was Reno's designated Captain during the 2020 season. With Richards as Captain, Reno finished the 2020 regular season with the best record in the USL Championship (11W - 2L - 3T) and made it to the Western Conference Semi-Finals.

"I'm proud to be joining Orange County, a club that's been extremely professional and competitive in the USL. The end goal is always to win a championship and I believe we will do just that in Orange County in 2021," said Richards.

Richards will be met with familiar faces in Orange County. Returning Orange County SC midfielder Seth Casiple is the only other Reno 1868 FC player to start in more than 80 games for the club. Richards and Casiple played together in Reno during the 2017, 2018, and 2019 seasons. New Orange County SC acquisition Chris Wehan, also played with Richards and Casiple in Reno during the 2017 season.

"I'm very happy that Brent has agreed to join our team. He is a player I have admired for several years both as a player & as a person," said OCSC Head Coach, Braeden Cloutier. "He brings an attacking presence to our fullback position that will be exciting as we build out our roster."

Richards started his professional career as a forward for Portland Timbers 2 in 2012. He quickly earned himself a spot on the Timber's MLS side and became their first-ever homegrown player. Richards suffered an unfortunate ACL injury shortly after making his debut for the Timbers but made a strong recovery and returned to the pitch during the 2015 season for Timbers 2. Since then, Richards has established himself as one of the league's premier defenders and team leaders.

"The end goal is always to win a championship and I believe we will do just that in Orange County." - Brent Richards.

Transaction:

Orange County SC sign defender Brent Richards December 2020.

Brent Richards

Position: Defender

Height: 5'10"

Weight: 167 lbs

Born: May 20, 1990

Birthplace: Camas, WA

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