USL San Diego Loyal

SD Loyal Hosts Orange County SC in Pacific Division Showdown

Published on August 20, 2021 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
San Diego Loyal News Release


San Diego Loyal Soccer Club (SD Loyal) closes out a four-match homestand Saturday. The Week 18 match is slated to be broadcasted and streamed on Yurview (Cox 4) and ESPN+. It will also be broadcasted on Azteca America 33 in Spanish.

WHAT: SD Loyal will try to carry over momentum from its last outing at Torero Stadium, a 5-1 win against Las Vegas Lights FC earlier this week. It hosts Orange County SC in an important divisional match to remain in the top three spots of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference.

WHO:

- SD Loyal

- Orange County SC

WHEN:

Saturday, Aug. 21

7:30 p.m. PT

WHERE:

Torero Stadium at USD

5998 Alcala Park

San Diego, CA 92110

MATCH PREVIEW:

SD Loyal did not play the way coach Landon Donovan expected his team to play against Las Vegas Lights FC earlier this week. He said his team was not at its best but it didn't matter because the club exploded with an attack that resulted in five goals. SD Loyal scored four times in the final 18 minutes. Tumi Moshobane had a brace while Jack Blake and academy contract player CJ Fodrey scored in the second half. Miguel Ibarra, who also had two assists, scored two minutes into the match.

SD Loyal added striker Augustine Williams on loan from MLS side LA Galaxy today to try and boost the attack. The 24-year-old striker is to remain with SD Loyal through the end of the 2021 USL Championship season.

Donovan hopes Williams can help replicate that same type of offense that exploded against Las Vegas. This time, against Orange County SC, a team that notably has always been a stout defensive squad. Donovan was quick to tell his team to forget the win against Las Vegas and focus on the next task as his team looks to close out the long homestand with points.

"It's over. We have to get ready for Orange County," Donovan said he told his players after the midweek game. "Obviously, it's great to enjoy a win and a big win. That's great but right now it's not. Just like we lost on (Aug. 14 to Tacoma Defiance) and we had to get ready for Vegas, it is over. We have to recover well mentally, emotionally and physically and just get ready for a huge game against a huge rival."

Orange County SC has been looking for some consistency in earning points in the Pacific Division table. It moved its way into second place earlier this season but has struggled to remain in that spot, earning only four points in its last five matches. It comes into this match in fourth place with 26 points. It is coming off a 3-0 disappointing loss to Tacoma Defiance earlier this week. Orange County has one win in its last eight games. The loss to Tacoma Defiance led to the firing of OC Head Coach Braden Cloutier. Cloutier had served as head coach since the start of the 2018 season and was by far the longest-tenured manager in the club's history. He had been part of the organization for the majority of its history, serving as an assistant coach from 2015 to 2017.

Assistant coach and former team captain Richard Chaplow was appointed the interim head coach.

Orange County had been trying to resolve its issues with results, adding some players in the recent weeks. It signed former Major League Soccer Rookie of the year Dillon Powers. It also signed attacking midfielder Ben Mines from MLS side FC Cincinnati. Mines is a talented young prospect and a product of the New York Red Bulls academy system. At 20-years-old, Mines signed a homegrown contract with the Red Bulls where he scored two goals and notched one assist over six appearances with the MLS side between 2018 and 2020. The winger was chosen by FC Cincinnati with the first selection of the MLS 2020 End-of-Year Waivers Draft.

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