USL Orange County SC

Rooted in Orange County: Celebrating Ten Years of Ocsc in Irvine

March 10, 2023 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Orange County SC News Release


Orange County SC is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its first season in Irvine in 2023. The 2021 USL Champions, who play at Championship Soccer Stadium at the Great Park, moved to Irvine in 2013 and have firmly established themselves in the area as the top level professional soccer club for OC's 3.2 million people.

The 10th anniversary campaign will feature a special anniversary merchandise line, to be unveiled later in the season, that will coincide with our 10th anniversary celebration home match on July 1 against Monterey Bay. Additional special events and celebrations will follow throughout the season. The club will also be announcing a "Ten Icons of OCSC" piece - featuring players, coaches and fans who have played a key role in the club's history.

"I am proud that we have established ourselves as a unique and powerful professional club within the US Soccer landscape in an extremely short period of time," OCSC Owner and CEO James Keston said. "Winning a USL Championship, achieving multiple transfers to Europe and the USL, selling out our stadium consistently and representing the county with pride."

For a decade, Orange County has been treated to both World Class players and young players developing to their full potential. Players like former captains Richard Chaplow, Michael Orozco and Thomas Enevoldsen have performed at a top level alongside rising young stars like Aaron Cervantes, Kobi Henry and Ronaldo Damus. The aforementioned young players have become the embodiment of the OCSC "Pathway to Pro" development program, as each player has been transferred from OCSC to top European clubs like Rangers F.C. (Scottish Premiership) and Stade de Reims (Ligue 1).

"As a club, we pride ourselves on being at the forefront of player development in the USL," OCSC President of Soccer Operations and General Manager Oliver Wyss said. "We have definitely set the standard for it, especially when it comes to player transfers into Europe. We have two great partnerships with world renowned clubs that have recognized our professional pathway. The key over the last 10 years has been to find the ideal balance between winning games and developing players, and if other USL clubs emulate our model that is a great compliment to our work and vision!"

In the last ten years, OCSC has scored 438 goals and seen over 300,000 people come through the gates at Championship Soccer Stadium. In that time span, the Black and Orange has been shown yellow cards 595 times and red cards 40 times. OCSC's best statistical season at the Champ was in 2018, when the Black and Orange went 12-4-4 at home and scored 43 goals.

Former midfielder Aodhan Quinn leads all OCSC players in attacking statistics over a career, with 23 goals and 23 assists. Behind him in all departments is former forward Michael Seaton, with 24 goals and 11 assists. Former midfielder Thomas Enevoldsen is third with 22 goals and 11 assists. Forward Milan Iloski has the highest single season total with 22 goals and 4 assists in 2022, good for fourth all-time in club history.

Some highlights from the last ten years include...

2022: The USL Championship record-breaking transfer of Kobi Henry to Stade de Reims.

2021: Lifting the USL Championship trophy after defeating the Tampa Bay Rowdies 3-1 in the Final.

2020: Partnership with Glasglow Rangers announced, opening the door to player development and marketing partnerships in the U.K.

2019: The signing of Francis Jacobs, the youngest pro player in U.S. soccer history (14 years, 4 months, 29 days).

2018: The highest regular season point total in club history (66) and a first Conference Final Appearance.

2017: The first match in club history at Championship Soccer Stadium at the Great Park in Irvine, a 4-0 victory over LA Galaxy II that included an audacious long range chip from Jerry van Ewijk.

2016: James Keston purchases the club and rebrands to Orange County SC.

2015: The first year under head coach Oliver Wyss. He led the OC Blues to top of the table in the Western Conference.

2014: The first official match played in Irvine, on the campus of UC Irvine.

2013: The move to Irvine is made official, with plans underway solidifying the future of the club in Irvine.

Be sure to stay tuned to our website and across all of our social media platforms for all the Ten Year celebration information and content throughout the 2023 season!

Check out the Orange County SC Statistics



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