A long time ago, in a stadium not so far away, Orange County Soccer Club faced an attack of the Locomotives in a 2-1 loss against El Paso Locomotive FC that left a disturbance in the Force.
The County Boys tapped into their Jedi abilities on the Champ’s Star Wars Night to exhibit another strong defensive half to open the match. They kept a progressive tempo, preventing shots on target, and sending a message to never tell them the odds.
Orange County found their first goal in the second half amid a flurry of shots and rebounds. Apolo Marinch shot first after accepting a cross from Jamir Johnson. El Paso’s Abraham Romero blocked the shot allowing a rebound that Marinch flicked towards the net. The second shot deflected off the shoulder of Nicolas Ruiz towards Grayson Doody, who headed the ball into the net, giving the Black & Orange the lead in the 51’ minute.
OCSC continued to hold firm, but found an unlucky strike in the 58’ minute when Marinch took a collision that gave him a second yellow card – earning him a red and taking Orange County to a nine-man squadron.
El Paso tapped into the Dark Side just minutes later with Tony Alfaro sending the ball through a muddled mass of players, sneaking it just past Tet Kadono and equalizing the match for Texas.
Orange County continued to fight harder, taking on challenges and standing firm. However, El Paso’s Roberto Coronado took a long shot in the 78’ that deflected into the net – giving the Empire-esque Locomotive the lead.
The match ended after three minutes of extra time. Orange County held 40% possession to El Paso’s 60%. The County Boys had the aim of Rebel fighters with five shots, four on goal. El Paso Locomotive FC took 19 shots, but only had four on target.
Despite the loss, there is no lack of faith from the dedicated and boisterous OCSC fans, who took on the rain to cheer on the Black & Orange.
As the two suns set on Tatooine, Orange County SC still remains at the top of the West in the USL Championship, and there are three more games within the Prinx Tires USL Cup round. Still, the County Boys’ sights are set on the next league game and continuing their dominating campaign.
After this match, Orange County will head to a galaxy far, far away on a three-game road trip before returning to the OC for a Fiesta De Beer Fest game at 10,000-seat Eddie West Stadium in Santa Ana. For tickets and more information, click HERE.
MILESTONES AND FACTS:
| TEAM | FIRST HALF | SECOND HALF | FULL TIME |
| OCSC | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| ELP | 0 | 2 | 2 |
SCORING SUMMARY:
ORANGE COUNTY SC:
51’ Grayson Doody (Unassisted)
EL PASO LOCOMOTIVE FC:
64’ Tony Alfaro (Assist – Nicolas Ruiz)
78’ Roberto Coronado (Unassisted)
DISCIPLINE SUMMARY:
34’ Yellow Card – Apolo Marinch (OCSC)
58’ Red Card – Apolo Marinch (OCSC)
87’ Yellow Card Grayson Doody (OCSC)
ORANGE COUNTY SC LINEUP: (4-4-2)
Tetsuya Kadono (GK); (C) Garrison Tubbs, Nico Benalcazar, Ryan Doghman (46’ Ryan Doghman), Ousmane Sylla (69’ Lyam MacKinnon), Pedro Guimaraes (46’ Mouhamadou War), Marcelo Palomino (69’ Stephen Kelly), Apollo Marinch, Efren Solis, Jamir Johnson (79’ Yaniv Bazini), Ethan Zubak
Unused subs: Alex Rando (GK), Kevin Partida, Grayson Doody, Chris Hegardt, Tom Brewitt,
Head Coach: Danny Stone
Possession: 40% | Shots: 5 | Shots On Goal: 4 | Corners: 1 | Fouls: 12 | Offsides: 1 | Saves: 2
EL PASO LOCOMOTIVE FC: (4-4-2)
Abraham Romero (GK); Gabriel Torres, Diego Abitia (65’ Rubio Rubín), Bryant Farkarlun (45’ Alex Méndez), Ricardo Ruiz, Nicolas Ruiz, Eric Calvillo, Daniel Gómez (81’ Arturo Ortíz), Álvaro Quezada, Carl Sainté (65’ Robert Coronado), Alfaro Vasquez
Unused Subs: Sebastian Mora-Mora (GK); Kenneth Hoban, Joseluis Villagomez
Head Coach: Junior Gonzalez
Possession: 60% | Shots: 19 | Shots On Goal: 4 | Corners: 8 | Fouls: 17 | Offsides: 2 | Saves: 2
Orange County SC v Lexington SC
2026 Prinx Tires USL Cup Round 1 / Game 1
Date: April 25, 2026
Venue: Championship Soccer Stadium, Irvine, CA