Saturday’s match marked Orange County SC’s first USL Championship home match at Championship Soccer Stadium in 105 days. The Black & Orange was dedicated to delivering an impeccable performance for their return home. OCSC’s equally dedicated crowd of over 5000 fans celebrated their 2-0 victory over El Paso Locomotive and the first clean sheet in 13 games.
The opening 20 minutes saw both sides feeling each other out, with play largely concentrated in the midfield and few meaningful scoring opportunities for either team. Orange County SC gradually settled into the match, forcing more turnovers and creating dangerous counterattacking opportunities as the momentum began to shift in the hosts’ favor.
The Black & Orange found the first goal of the game in the 26’ minute after Ousmane Sylla struck the ball down the center of the net, speeding past El Paso’s Abraham Romero. Chris Hegardt earned the assist after bringing up the ball from the El Paso midfield, and OCSC ended the first half up 1-0. The goal elevated OCSC’s momentum and opened the doors for a masterclass game.
Orange County didn’t slow their momentum in the second half. While El Paso searched for an equalizer, the County Boys continued to deliver an unbreakable defensive performance, waiting for the chance to quickly counter the forceful Locomotives. OC’s play continued to sharpen as their passes grew to 83% accuracy, with 89% being delivered in their own half. They kept their composure against the Locomotive pressure and dismantled El Paso’s 18 shots taken.
OCSC found their second goal in the 62’ minute from a set piece play, as Yaniv Bazini received a header from the free kick at the top of the box, moving it towards Garrison Tubbs, who met it with a header of his own just in front of the goal near the back post, beating Romero and giving OC the boost at 2-0.
El Paso would keep pushing for at least one goal all the way till the final whistle, but the Orange County defense refused to be beaten, with an invincible Alex Rando saving eight shots. Rando earned his sixth clean sheet, and the team earned a win and the 3 points needed to keep OCSC at the top of the Western Conference Table.
Orange County SC has three home matches remaining in August, beginning with Christmas in August on Saturday, Aug. 8, when the club hosts Eastern Conference-leading Tampa Bay Rowdies. For tickets and more information, click HERE.
Milestones:
- 1st Clean sheet in 13 matches
- Orange County SC extended its unbeaten streak to a club-record nine consecutive USL Championship matches. The previous club record was an eight-match unbeaten run during the 2024 USL Championship regular season.
| TEAM | FIRST HALF | SECOND HALF | FULL TIME |
| OCSC | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| ELP | 0 | 0 | 0 |
SCORING SUMMARY:
ORANGE COUNTY SC
26’ Ousmane Sylla – (Assist: Chris Hegardt)
62’ Garrison Tubbs – (Assist: Yaniv Bazini)
EL PASO LOCOMOTIVE FC
DISCIPLINE SUMMARY:
24’ Roberto Coronado – Yellow Card
ORANGE COUNTY SC LINEUP: (4-4-2)
Alex Rando (GK); Tom Brewitt (C), Garrison Tubbs, Nico Benalcazar, Ryan Doghman (64’ Mouhamadou War), Efren Solis, Ousmane Sylla, Stephen Kelly, Chris Hegardt (84’ Brandon Cambridge), Lyam MacKinnon (74’ Apollo Marinch), Yaniv Bazini (74’ Ethan Zubak)
Unused subs: Tetsuya Kadono, Jack Gentile (GK); Jamir Johnson, Finn O’Brien, Joaquin Castro
Head Coach: Danny Stone
Possession: 43% | Shots: 7 | Shots On Goal: 2 | Corners: 3 | Fouls: 11 | Offsides: 0 | Saves: 0
EL PASO LOCOMOTIVE FC LINEUP: (4-3-3)
Abraham Romero (GK); Gabriel Torres, Tony Alfaro, Arturo Ortíz, Nicolás Cardona (67’ Roberto Avila), Ricardo Ruiz (46’ Alex Mendez), Robert Coronado (79’ Diego Abitia), Eric Calvillo, Álvaro Quezada (46’ Kofi Twumasi), Rubio Rubín, Amando Moreno (79’ Jimmy Farkarlun)
Unused Subs: Pedro Cruz (GK): Memo Diaz
Head Coach: Junior Gonzalez
Possession: 57% | Shots: 27 | Shots On Goal: 10 | Corners: 13 | Fouls: 16 | Offsides: 4 | Saves: 0
Orange County SC v. El Paso Locomotive FC
2026 USL Championship Match 18
Date: August 1, 2026
Venue: Championship Soccer Stadium, Irvine, CA